


I Think I Need To Let Loose

by Nikolaus_Chaser



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Bottom Dean, Deep throat, Destiel NSFW, F/M, Knotting, Like really really slow, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Benny Lafitte/Dean Winchester, Mpreg, Omega Dean, Pregnant Dean, Rimming, Slow Burn, Top Castiel, destiel smut, offensive language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-08 12:33:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 131,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5497217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikolaus_Chaser/pseuds/Nikolaus_Chaser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What does it mean to be lonely?</p><p>Castiel Milton, a wealthy Alpha and CEO of Angel Entertainment Production Co., knows all too well what it means to be lonely. He lives with his loneliness every day, but he does so routinely, so he doesn’t put much thought into it anymore.</p><p>Dean Winchester is an Omega who has been ostracized and ridiculed by his family for his unconventional and promiscuous lifestyle. After his father disowned him when he turned twenty-two and still hadn’t found a mate, the only family he had left was his brother Sam. But even Sammy persistently complains to Dean that it is time he settle down and find a mate. But really, Dean doesn’t need a mate. he is content in his loneliness.</p><p>A chance hook-up at a bar one night leads to so much more as Dean and Castiel struggle to come to terms with themselves and their newfound bond. They will learn what it truly means to be lonely, as well as what it means to be loved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Song: [I Want Your Sex](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vldh7oQD-a4) by George Michael

“You’re busy tonight,” Dean smiled cheekily at Benny as he slid into his seat by the bar. Benny smiled back at him, already reaching out to fill a glass of whiskey for Dean.

“There’s my favorite Omega. I was starting to wonder whether or not you were going to show tonight,” he drawled, setting the glass down on the bar and pushing it towards Dean. He went to get some money to pay, but Benny reached out and placed a hand over his wrist before he could pull his wallet out. “This round’s on me.”

Dean blushed a little and reached out, taking a swig from his glass before he set it back down on the bar.

“You flirtin’ with me?” Dean asked, his lips pursed. Benny shrugged in response, turning his attention away from Dean so that he could take orders from other customers. Dean chuckled and shook his head, watching Benny move behind the counter for a moment before he turned his attention away from the handsome Alpha.

Smiling, Dean swiveled in his seat and decided to scope out the room. It was crowded, even for a Saturday night. The whole bar was buzzing with excitement; people grinding against each other on the dance floor; chatting over drinks; arguing by the pool table. Dean figured that he could easily go home with someone that night- maybe a beta chick or even another omega, if he was lucky.

“Uh, Cher,” Benny tapped Dean’s elbow and the Omega turned around, focusing his attention on the bartender, who was holding a Cosmo out to him. “Courtesy of that lovely Alpha at the end of the bar,” he said, gesturing to his right. Dean looked up, his cheeks burning bright pink when the Alpha at the end of the bar smiled at him and waved. 

The guy was smoking hot- dark brown hair that was sticking up in every direction, a chiseled jaw, and the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen. The guy was built too, and Dean figured that he must be a runner or a swimmer or _something_ , because those biceps should really be illegal. He waved back feebly, averting his eyes in embarrassment.

Dean tried to concentrate on sipping the Cosmo in front of him, but that worked for all of about two seconds because, _shit_ the guy was walking towards him. Right towards him and there was nowhere for Dean to go, nowhere for him to hide from this absolute fucking _Adonis_ who was walking right towards him and-

“Hello,” The guy smiled at Dean, and _shit_ because that guy’s voice was like fucking sex on gravel and it went straight to Dean’s cock. He did his best to smile at the Alpha, who smelled like cinnamon and watermelons and campfires, reaching out and taking his outstretched hand.

“Hi,” He said, biting at his bottom lip coyly. “Thanks for the drink,” he said, gesturing towards the half-finished Cosmo. The Alpha smiled, gesturing to the bar stool beside Dean.

“Is this seat taken?”

“What? I mean, no. It’s free,” He watched as the man sat down, quickly reaching for his drink and taking a rather large sip.

“My name is Castiel, by the way,” the Alpha said. Dean swallowed quickly, smiling back at him. 

“I’m Dean,” he said. “So… what brings you here tonight? I’ve never seen you around here before.” 

“Oh… I’m here visiting my brother for the week. He dragged me here tonight in hopes of seeing me ‘let loose’,” Castiel rolled his eyes, setting his elbow down on the bar and resting his head against his hand. Dean had to hold back a squeak at the sight because _fuck_ that was _adorable_. “But enough about me. What brings you here?”

Dean bit his lips, stirring his Cosmo with his pinky for a moment before he looked up at Cas, green eyes glinting in the warm light of the bar as he looked up at the Alpha and spoke.

“Well… I guess that I’m here to help you ‘let loose’,” he grinned, leaning forward and tugging at the tie that was hung loosely around the Alpha’s neck. “Does that sound like a good plan to you, Alpha?”

Castiel’s breath hitched, a sound caught between a purr and a grown rumbling from his throat. “I think… I like that plan a lot,” he said, his hands finding Dean’s lean hips and curling around them. The Omega smiled, leaning a little bit closer and nipping at Castiel’s stubbly jaw.

“Well then, what are you waiting for, Cas? Let’s get out of here and have some fun,” he purred, pressing his body close to the Alpha’s and sucking open-mouthed kisses into his skin. Castiel gasped, his grip on Dean’s hips tightening and his fingers pressing bruises into the skin there.

“My hotel is only two blocks away,” he growled out.

“My car is in the parking lot,” Dean supplied, looking up at the Alpha under dark lashes. Castiel shrugged.

“That works too,” he said, lifting Dean off of his feet easily and draping him over his back. Dean gasped and grabbed at Castiel’s shirt, blushing when he saw Benny watching them go. The bartender chuckled, giving Dean the thumbs up.

“Stay safe, brother,” he laughed. Dean nodded.

“Okay,” he promised, though all he could really think about at that moment was the fact that sexiest Alpha he had ever met in his life was carrying him over his shoulder out of a bar so that he could fuck him in the back seat of his Impala. God, his life should have been a TV show.

Once they were outside, the Alpha set Dean down onto the pavement. He grinned, pulling Cas close and placing a wet, open mouthed kiss on his lips. They tasted even better than he had imagined, like alcohol and sugar and maybe even cigarettes, and Dean thought that he could get addicted to the taste of those lips.

“Do you think, ah-” Castiel tilted his neck up as Dean began to suck at it, leaving a dark hickey in his wake. “Do you think he would be so pleased that we were leaving together if he knew- _fuck_ \- If he knew that I was about to knot you in his parking lot?”

Dean laughed against Cas’s skin, pulling back and smiling up at him. “Probably not,” he smiled and took Cas’s hand in his own. “Come on, my car is right over here,” he said, leading the Alpha about twenty feet away from the building. They stopped in front of a sleek black car and Dean smiled up at him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Are you ready for the best knot of your life?” he flirted, batting his eyelashes at the Alpha. Castiel growled and pressed Dean up against the car, cupping his face as he kissed him deeply. Dean moaned into the kiss, clutching at the lapels of Castiel’s jacket as he felt the Alpha grinding against his thigh. 

He could already feel the outline of his cock in his jeans, hard and heavy, and the smell of the Alpha’s pheromones in the air made Dean weak at the knees. Slick ran down his thigh, and the smell of his own arousal began to overwhelm him. Castiel growled and pressed closer to him, practically humping Dean in the middle of the parking lot.

“Cas… Cas, stop,” Dean gasped, tilting his head back and reaching for the car door handle. Castiel growled and pulled back, and Dean saw for the first time that the Alpha’s eyes were red, burning with arousal. He could feel more slick running down his leg at the sight, and he hastened to open the door to the back seat. After what seemed like way too long he finally managed to open the door, groaning when Castiel pushed him into the car so that he was lying on his stomach in the back seat, horny Alpha rutting against his ass.

“Mine,” Castiel growled in his ear as he tore his pants off, and Dean moaned at the sound of those words coming from the Alpha’s mouth. He pushed his hips back against Cas’s, slick, pink hole completely exposed to the Alpha.

“Yeah, all yours,” He gasped as Castiel pushed two fingers into his wet hole, fucking him hard and fast. He could feel him draping himself over Dean’s back, breath hot against Dean’s neck.

“From the moment I saw you in the bar, I knew… I had to have you…” He growled, pushing a third finger into the Omega’s slick hole. Dean whined beneath him, arching his back and baring his neck for the Alpha. “You’re so pretty, Dean… So pretty, and you’re all _mine_ ,”

“Oh, oh, Alpha… yes, I’m all yours,” Dean cried, pushing back against Cas’s hand, desperate for more. “Please knot me. Please… I want to feel you…”

Castiel growled, slipping his fingers out of Dean’s slick ass. The Omega whined at the loss of contact, but Castiel didn’t seem to be paying attention as he brought his fingers to his lips, sucking Dean’s sweet slick off of his fingers. He moaned loudly at the taste and Dean whimpered, his ass clenching down on nothing as he rocked back against Cas desperately.

“Alpha, please!” He cried out. That seemed to get Cas’s attention, because in no time he had his hands on Dean’s hips and was easing his long, fat cock into Dean’s tight hole. The Omega cried out loudly as he was impaled by the Alpha’s thick cock, almost ten inches long hard and at least 3 inches thick. Dean’s biggest dildo didn’t even come _near_ that size.

“Fuck! Fuck, Alpha, you’re so big…” Dean moaned loudly as Cas began to rut into him, his huge cock stretching Dean so much that he was sure he could feel him hitting his cervix. It hurt a little to have such a huge cock impaling him, but at the same time it felt good to be so full. At this rate, he couldn’t imagine how big the Alpha’s knot was going to be. He groaned and reached down, touching his stomach and feeling the bulge of Cas’s cock as it fucked into him hard and fast. He moaned loudly, his body trembling as the Alpha began to slam into him, his heavy balls slapping against Dean’s ass with every thrust. 

“Going to fuck you good and fill you up…” Castiel was growling in Dean’s ear, humping the Omega furiously. “Fuck you full of my cum. Fill you up good…”

“Oh, please!” Dean cried, arching his back. He could feel Cas’s knot beginning to form at the base of the Alpha huge cock, and while he had no clue how he was going to ever fit that massive thing inside of him, he wanted it more than anything. “Please, Alpha! Fill me up, stuff me full. I want to be full!” he whimpered. Castiel snarled and bit down on Dean’s shoulder, leaving a dark bruise where he had bit him. It wasn’t a mating mark, but it was close enough, and Castiel cried out as he shoved his knot into Dean’s tight ass, pumping him full of cum as he continued to rut again him.

Dean cried out loudly, his own cock twitching as he came all over the back seat of the Impala. He could still feel Cas’s knot pulsing inside of him, filling him up with loads of cum. He reached down and touched his stomach, feeling how it bulged full of cum. He groaned and closed his eyes, moving his hips and clenching his ass, trying to draw more cum out of the Alpha that was tied to him.

They waited out the knot in silence, Cas’s hands moving back and forth over his back, massaging his muscles. By the time that the Alpha’s huge knot finally slipped free, Dean was completely relaxed. He turned his head to watch Cas as he stuffed his soft cock back into his pants, leaning down and kissing Dean’s lips.

“Thanks for that, baby. You were perfect,” he said. Dean smiled and kissed him back, watching him go. Then he dressed himself, climbing into the front seat and starting up the car. As he pulled out of the parking lot he placed a hand on his stomach, still bloated and full of cum. 

He wondered briefly if it was possible that he had gotten pregnant before he remembered that he was on the pill, and with a smile on his face he drove home, still fucked full of Castiel’s cum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I know what you're probably thinking-- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
> 
> Well, it's quite simple. Silly, stupid me was editing last night and accidentally clicked the 'delete work' button instead of the 'delete chapter' button! Now I am screwed out of 11 chapters worth of your loving comments, and probably have lost quite a few readers. Anyway, if you're reading this now, I'm sorry I deleted the old story. I feel like an idiot.
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos. I love you guys... Now I'm gonna go cry on my laptop keyboard.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [River of Dreams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq4B_zHqPM) by Billy Joel

When Castiel returned to his home in Chicago almost a week later, he wasn’t feeling like himself. It was almost as if he _weren’t_ himself; that he was just somebody else walking around in Cas Milton’s skin. He was sensitive to everything from touch to noise to smell, not to mention how the lights on the plan had bothered his eyes. By the time he had arrived at Midway International Airport he had a splitting headache, and he had to be escorted by one of the Beta security guards off of the plane because he couldn’t stand on his own. But even that had been horrible, because the feeling of her hands on his body made him want to throw up, and the smell of her so close to him was putrid.

He didn’t remember hailing a taxi, but somehow he made it back to his apartment building and up to the eleventh floor, where he lived in his loft. It wasn’t a very large place- no top floor suite- though it was more spacious than most apartments on the upper west side. Being the decorated CEO of Angel Entertainment Production Company afforded him some luxuries, though, and Castiel prided himself in being able to afford his home. It was, after all, one of the only things in his life that he had allowed himself to dump money on, while the rest went into savings and charity. Growing up with three siblings and a single mom had done that to him. But he wouldn’t have had it any other way; Cas would never want to see himself become one of those snotty, rich CEO’s who would rather fire 5000 people and take a pay raise than trade in their BMW for a Toyota. 

He let himself in, dropping his bags at the door and plopping down on the couch. The leather was cool on his back and he sighed, dragging his fingers through his raven black hair and trying to blink away the spots before his eyes.

After several minutes of laying around feeling bad for himself, Cas finally decided to get up and go take something for his headache. He was exhausted at that point, though he had only been on the plane for about an hour and a half. He was starting to wonder if he should have stayed in Kansas, like his concerned brother had offered him. Evidentially he had been acting off when he was still in Kansas, if Gabriel was concerned enough to ask him to stay. Then again, he had walked into a wall more than once in the past three days.

The truth was that Cas had been feeling weird ever since his hookup at the bar on his first Saturday in Kansas. That omega he had met, Dean… he hadn’t even known him for more than half an hour, and yet he had still felt such a strong connection with him. Castiel knew that it had just been a hook-up, but it didn’t stop him from regretting leaving the moment he gotten back to Gabriel’s apartment. Likewise, it didn’t stop him from feeling like a walking zombie for the better half of the week.

He downed two Excedrin, shuffling to his bedroom and toeing off his shoes before he laid down on the bed, pressing his face into his clean pillows and inhaling deeply. They were freshly washed- he had made a point to take them to the dry cleaner before he left for vacation- and yet the smell irritated his nose. Castiel growled and sat up, ruffling the pillow and flipping it over. He pushed the sheets on his bed back, then pulled them over himself again. The material seemed to scratch against his arms, though, and with every breath he could feel the irritating cloth slide against his skin.

Huffing, he slipped out of bed and rammed his feet back into his shoes, grabbing the keys to his car and storming out of his apartment. He hardly acknowledged his next door neighbor, Mrs. Tran, who he normally loved to talk to. Right now even she smelled disgusting, her perfume invading Castiel’s nostrils like the too-sweet smell of garbage in a dumpster. He made his way down the hall and out to the parking deck quickly, finding his beige 1978 Lincoln Continental parked in the same spot that he had left it a week before. He slid in to the driver’s seat of the old car easily, crinkling up his nose angrily as he jammed the key into the ignition and prayed that the car wouldn’t stall.

While Castiel could easily afford a new car- and a nice one at that- he chose not to. The Continental had been his sister Anna’s, before she had died, and she had left it to him. He had been fresh out of college when that happened. A freak heart attack, the doctors had said. Castiel had been miserable when it had happened, and stayed holed up in his bedroom for a week after wards.

Anna had been his best friend all throughout his childhood. She was only one year older than him, and much more personable than his other siblings, in his opinion. As the baby of the family, Castiel hardly knew Gabriel or his sister Hannah before they had left for college. Anna, on the other hand, was practically his twin. They had bonded together and become best friends in their childhood; did everything together as often as they could. They protected each other from their toxic, overly-religious mom, and after high school, they scraped up some money to rent an apartment together near the community college.

When Anna mated with a guy she had met in college, Balthazar, Castiel had made a point to be friends with him for his sister’s sake. Even though he was younger than her, Anna was still an Omega and Castiel an Alpha, so he felt obliged to check this guy out and make sure he was okay for his sister to be with. Luckily they had gotten along pretty decently, and Castiel was happy to say that he approved of his sister’s choice of mate. 

It was a shock when she died. Castiel was heartbroken, so much so that he moved back home with his mom for a few months to recuperate. Balthazar had been devastated too, especially when the toxicology screening came back and indicated that she had been pregnant, just too early along for anyone to tell. That had really hit Castiel hard- to know that he would have been an uncle, could have been, but now Anna was gone.

Now, the car was all that he had left of his sister.

Castiel was pleased when the vehicle started up easily enough, and he drove out of the parking deck and onto the highway. He drove for a while, seemingly aimlessly, until he pulled up in front of a strip mall. There, he would find what he was looking for. He turned into the parking lot of the complex, turning left and right until he found the store he was looking for. He parked right in front of the Lowes, shutting the car off and piling out of it.

He must have been a miserable sight inside of the store, because nobody came to help him. Why would they? Shoppers and employees alike were probably terrified; a large Alpha, reeking of agitation and annoyance, lumbering through the aisles of a department store. It upset him to think that people might be scared by him and his current state, but at the same time, he couldn’t help it. He was dizzy, exhausted, his head was pounding, and he couldn’t stand the smell of anything for more than a few minutes.

Finally he found what he was looking for- a new set of linens that would fit his bed perfectly. He also decided to buy a new pillow set and duvet, just to be safe. At the checkout, the young Omega woman who was ringing his things up regarded him with timid eyes, and he tried his best to smile reassuringly at her. He wasn’t sure how convincing he was, though, because her too-sweet Omega scent was making him dizzy.

“Rough day?” She asked softly. Castiel snorted and shook his head, running his fingers back and forth through his hair.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he mumbled, then looked up at her. She looked as if she hadn’t heard his response, so he nodded quickly to be polite. “Yes, a very rough day.”

“You should probably get some sleep. You look tired,” she said as she took Castiel’s credit card from his outstretched hand, swiping it through the machine. The Alpha sighed as he took it back from her, frowning when he realized that it now carried her overwhelmingly sweet, spicy Omega scent.

“I’ll try,” he said quickly, thanking her as he took his bags from her and left the store.

When he got back to his apartment he quickly stripped the bed, fitting the new sheets to it and piling the mattress high with the new pillows and duvets he had bought. The bed looked amazingly comfortable, perfectly arranged with its large pillows and fluffy blankets. Castiel thought that he had done a good job of it- that it would be terrific for him to settle down in. Terrific for any Alpha and his Omega to settle down in.

That was when it hit Castiel what he was doing- he was nesting. He had built a freaking _nest_ for himself and Dean, his nonexistent Omega, because he had somehow tricked his body into believing that he and Dean were mates. Dean, who was probably somewhere in Kansas having a grand old time right now. Castiel growled loudly, banging his fist against the wall and closing his eyes. Leave it to him to get into this type of predicament- falsely mated to a complete stranger who he had no way of contacting at all.

He groaned, sitting on the edge of his bed and placing his head in his hands. It was no wonder now why everybody stunk to him- his body was letting him know that there was only one scent he should ever want to share with his own, and that was Dean’s. But how was he supposed to share Dean’s scent if they were nearly 600 miles away? Who even knew if Dean wanted to share his scent, anyway. Obviously he was okay with hooking up with Cas, that was indisputable, but why on earth would he want to mate with him? For that matter, why would Cas want to mate with him? They were total strangers to each other, literally, the only think connecting them being their compatible biology.

These were the troubling thoughts that lulled Cas to sleep that night, tossing and turning in the new sheets of his bed, dreaming of far-away green eyes and a heartbreak for something he had never seemed to have to begin with.

\---

In the morning, Castiel woke to messy sheets and a headache. Figuring that it was the best he could wish for in his current predicament, he slid out of bed and padded into his en-suite bathroom. He sighed as he stripped out of his clothes, tossing them into the hamper and sliding the shower door open.

He turned the water on so that it came out scalding hot, just the way he liked it, and he began to wash himself. He started with his face, then his hair, and worked his way down his body. It felt good to rid himself of all the dirt and sweat he had accumulated during his plane trip. That was, until he reached his waist, and staring up at him angrily was his hard morning wood, standing tall and defiantly against the spray of water from the overhead shower.

He tried to ignore it, willing it to go away by thinking of dead puppies and Mrs. Tran naked. Alas it stood tall, and Castiel glared at it, considering for a moment whether or not he should just rub one out. It had been a long time since he had had to do so, and he was almost sure that his current condition had something to do with the false mating he was going through (he really needed to read up on it), but _God_ did it ache.

He carefully wrapped one hand around the base of his hard cock, hissing and throwing his head back against the shower door as he flicked his wrist upward. It had been a very long time since he had masturbated, probably since college, and he had forgotten how good it felt.

He sighed and closed his eyes, and immediately images of Dean filled his mind. The way the Omega had arched underneath him, made such pretty noises… He groaned and tightened his fist around his cock, remembering the way that Dean’s hole had felt around his massive cock. It was almost as good as being with him again, imagining the way he had chanted his name, called out to him and moaned, kissed him… He could almost smell him, almost taste him, and that thought made his cock pulse.

The Alpha groaned aloud himself, rocking into his own fist as his knot began to swell up underneath his fingers. He pressed his head against his slit, spreading around the precum that pearled there and moving his hand faster. He thought of Dean; Dean’s face, his body, his voice… Everything about him was wonderful. And it was those thoughts that made his knot finally pop, his hips jerking forward violently.

“Oh Dean, Oh God, Oh God Dean…” He moaned loudly as his knot swelled up to full capacity, and he began to massage the aching bulge, crying out loudly when he finally came. He coated the tile walls in his cum, hips stick rocking into his fist as he rode out his wonderful orgasm.

The thing was, as Cas dried off and dressed, stuffing his still swollen knot back into his pants, he didn’t feel any better. If anything, he felt pretty crappy. Like he had this ache in his chest, in his heart, and he wasn’t sure he could fill it. His physical needs had been met, the knot in his pants proof enough of that. But still, he felt empty, like something had been stolen from him and he would never see it again.

He shuffled back to his bedroom, picking up his phone and scrolling through his contacts list, pulling up his assistant’s number and waiting as the phone rang. His assistant picked up on the third ring.

“Mr. Milton, it’s so good to hear from you. How was your trip?” His assistant’s voice was grating to Cas’s oversensitive ears, and he was grateful that this was a phone call, because he knew that the scowl on his face would surely be perceived offensively if they were talking in person.

“Samandriel… The trip was okay. Something unexpected happened, though, and I think… I will not be able to come in to work today. Do I have anything important scheduled?”

“Not particularly, sir. But tomorrow you have a meeting with Zachariah from the uptown office. Do you think you’ll be in by then?”

“I’m not sure…” Castiel sighed heavily. “Okay. Please forward me anything of high priority, okay? I just need some time to myself right now.”

“Is everything alright, Mr. Milton? Sir?”

“Something has just come up. Nothing to worry about, Samandriel.”

“Okay, sir… Do you want me to come by your apartment? I could bring you breakfast, if you need-”

“No!” Castiel said quickly, aware that Samandriel Omega scent would only agitate his condition further. Samandriel went silent on the other end, and Castiel cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Samandriel… I’m just not in any condition to see people right now.”

“Oh. Well I’ll forward you anything important. I hope you feel better, boss.”

“Me too,” Castiel said resignedly, pressing the _END_ button on the call and tossing his phone to the other side of the bed. Then he laid down upon the sheets, closing his eyes and willing his thoughts of Dean to go away.

When he woke he was cold, and it only took him a few moments to realize that the window was open. He shot up in bed like a bullet, the throbbing in his head forgotten for a moment as he looked around his room frantically. Nothing looked unusual, except for the fact that the window was open. He hadn’t left it open when he’d gone to sleep that morning.

He listened closely, and that was when he heard some sort of noise deeper in his apartment. He pushed the blankets off of his body, retraining a growl at the thought of somebody unwelcome being in his home. He went into his closet and quickly grabbed his old baseball bad, letting his bedroom door creak open as he slipped into the main living area of his apartment. He was just creeping into the sitting room when he heard a voice behind him, coming out of the kitchen.

“What are you doing, Cas?” A female voice asked behind him, and Castiel swung the bat around, nearly taking his sister Hannah’s head off. He quickly dropped the bat once he saw it was her, though, rushing to her side.

“Oh God, Hannah, are you okay?” He asked. She pushed him away.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You almost killed me.”

“I thought that you were an intruder. Figured I was being robbed, or something,” he answered, looking away from the bright kitchen lights and taking another step back from her as her strong Alpha scent invaded his nostrils. He must have been stumbling, though, because he quickly found himself leaning against the way, his older sister stepping forward and reaching out to steady him.

“Are you okay, Cassie?” She asked. Castiel batted her hand away, her skin against his skin making him itchy.

“I’m- I’m fine. Why are you here?”

“Gabriel called and said you got a flight back yesterday, but I hadn’t heard from you. He told me to go check on you, too. He said you were acting funny back in Lawrence, and I should swing by…”

“Of course he did,” Castiel mumbled, waving Hannah off when she asked him what he had said. He looked up at her, raking his fingers through his hair and frowning. “I’m fine, Hannah. Just a little jet lag.”

“You were literally on the plane for one hour, Castiel.”

“Did anybody ever tell you that you’re annoying?” Castiel asked, pushing past his sister and stumbling towards the coffee maker. He turned it on, filling the top with some coffee grinds and setting the pot underneath. Then he turned around and leaned against the counter, frowning at his sister. “What?”

“You’re worrying me.”

“Aren’t you always worried about something?” He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, my trip to Kansas was fine. Did you want something to eat? I think I have some eggs in the fridge…”

“I’m not hungry. Just… Please talk to me, Cas. There’s obviously something wrong. I mean, its three o’clock in the afternoon and you’re just getting up, for God’s sake!”

“Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain,” Castiel snapped. Hannah rolled her eyes.

“You just did it like… five minutes ago,” she huffed. Cas shrugged.

“I’m cooler than you are, though, so it’s okay.”

“Whatever,” Hannah rolled her eyes again. “You keep changing the subject, Cas.” 

He sighed and looked down, his cheeks turning red. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s sort of embarrassing. I don’t really want to talk about it with my sister…”

“Why? Are you rutting?” Hannah turned her nose up, sniffing the air around her. “You don’t smell like you’re rutting. You smell…” Hannah frowned, her eyes widening. “Castiel, did you mate with somebody?”

Castiel sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hannah gasped, pulling out her phone.

“Oh my God! I am _so_ calling mom!” She yelled. Castiel growled as her voice pierced his ears, reaching out and snatching her phone away quickly.

“Could you lower your voice? I didn’t get mated,” He snapped, narrowing his eyes at Hannah. “I… I had sex with an Omega, on my second night down there. Gabriel and I went to a bar and I just,” he sighed heavily, “Gabriel had been making fun of me, telling me that I needed to let loose. So I did.”

“Okay…?” Hannah frowned in confusion, reaching for her phone in Castiel’s hands. He kept it away from her, though, knocking his hand away.

“I am suffering from false mating instincts.” He said. Hannah’s eyebrows shot up and a sympathetic expression crossed her face.

“Oh, Cas…” She started. Castiel waved his hand at her, shaking his head. 

“I’ll be fine, Han. I’m just feeling a bit dysphoric right now.”

“Maybe you should see a doctor.” Hannah answered. Cas shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“I’m serious, Cas. I think they have medication for stuff like that.”

Castiel raised his eyebrows at his sister. “Really? I don’t think so,” he sighed, then continued, “Look, I’ll be fine. I just need a few days, some good sleep…”

“Maybe some porn?”

“Hannah!” Castiel blushed, gaping at his sister. She shrugged and he sighed.

“Do you need anything? Are you going to be okay?”

“I think I’m fine for now,” Cas said, when he was suddenly assaulted by the feeling of Hannah’s arms around him. He tensed, her scent filling his nostrils and making his head throb. He fought back a bought of nausea, squirming slightly.

“Hannah…”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” She jumped back, biting her lips. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Castiel closed his eyes, swaying abit before he leaned over and threw up at his sister’s feet. She reached out and grabbed him before he could fall into his own vomit, helping him stand straight.

“Okay, come on,” she said softly, walking him towards his bedroom and laying him down. He was shaking by the time she laid him down, his eyes squeezed shut.

“M’Sorry Han… It’s so st-stupid,” He scowled, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. “You’re supposed to smell like home. Like comfort. You always have. But now… now you smell like rotten fish.”

Hannah scrunched up her nose, trying not to be hurt by Castiel’s words. She knew that he was suffering, so instead of responding she simply reached down, pulling the brand new duvet over Cas’s shaking body. He opened his eyelids, looking up at her with glossy blue eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said again. Hannah nodded.

“I know you are, Cas. But it’s okay. You just get your rest for now, and I’ll go clean the kitchen.”

“You don’t have to…”

“It’s okay, Cas. You’re sick,” she whispered, then leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Castiel blinked up at her, smiling softly and not even minding the way that her lips against his skin made him feel like he wanted to hurl again.

“I love you.”

Hannah smiled sweetly down at her brother. “I love you too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Goodbye Stranger](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsV-rQ23bus) by Supertramp

“Again?” Sam crinkled up his nose as Dean wandered into their shared apartment, the cramped living room filling with the scent of Omega slick and Alpha musk and scent. Dean rolled his eyes, tossing the keys of the Impala onto the coffee table as he slipped out of his leather jacket and toed off his boots.

"Leave it, Sam,” Dean grumbled, walking over to the couch and pushing aside the piles of open textbooks, notebooks and loose papers that Sam had laid out there. He plopped down, reached for the TV remote and flicked it on. The screen buzzed to life, and then the image cleared out just in time for Sam to snatch the remote back and turn it off again.

“No, Dean. You do this shit at least once a month… How do you ever expect to find a mate if you keep hooking up with random Alphas? What Alpha is going to want to be with you when they find out you’ve been with so many people before them?”

“Don’t start me with your hypocritical sexist bullshit, Sam. I’m not looking for a mate right now and even if I was, I wouldn’t want to be with an Alpha who judges me by the amount of _knots_ I’ve taken up my-”

“Alright!” Sam yelled, slamming his text book shut and quickly standing up. “I’m going to bed. Do me a favor and spray some air freshener in here before you go to bed, would you?”

“You’re such a grouch, Sammy. Why don’t you stay up a bit and have a beer with me?” Dean frowned, looking back at his brother and raising his eyebrows. Sam huffed and turned away.

“No thanks, Dean. I’m not really in the mood right now,” he said, then trudged off to his respective bedroom. Dean frowned and turned back to the TV, running his thumb over the buttons on the remote before he finally decided to turn it back on. He sighed, pressing the power button and flicking the channels until he stumbled upon one channel that was running _Dr. Sexy M.D._ , his favorite soap opera. With a contented sigh he sat back, resting his hands above his head and kicking his feet up on the cluttered coffee table as he watched his show.

Tonight wasn’t the first time that Sam had gotten annoyed with Dean for sleeping around. Hell, it was probably the hundredth. Dean wasn’t exactly what one would consider the ‘traditional’ Omega; he had a full time job, he didn’t have a mate, he drank to excess, he was disrespectful, and he considered promiscuity to be a hobby of his. His father had disowned him for these very reasons when he had turned twenty-two and came home one night drunk and smelling like sex. 

From then on, Sam had been his only family. But even Sam could be a bit traditionalist in his values, like just now, when he got angry at Dean for sleeping around like he did. Dean knew that tomorrow his brother would be apologetic, probably buy him a pie and take him up on the beer that he had offered him. Not that it mattered, anyway. Dean knew that he was weird. And he was. Omegas weren’t meant to act like he did, to be so mouthy and insolent, to think for themselves. They were supposed to find a mate and make pups and listen to what their Alpha told them to do.

But not Dean. No, no, no. Taking orders from some prick Alpha was not his idea of fun, and until an Alpha came along that was going to appreciate him for that, he was happy to stay single. Willing to, too, even if it meant never mating with anybody.

His hook-up with Castiel earlier that night had been a pleasant one though- probably the most enjoyable he had ever had, if he was going to be honest. He didn’t feel dirty, like he sometimes did after having sex with a stranger. Rather he felt very euphoric, like sex with Castiel had somehow enlightened his soul- pleased his Omega, it occurred to Dean. He smiled to himself and bent down, sniffing at his own armpit and finding pleasure in the fact that Castiel’s scent was still on him.

He watched Dr. Sexy until about one o’clock, when the marathon ended and the network started playing paid programming. He lifted himself up off of the couch with a sigh, shutting the TV off and making his way to the bathroom. It didn’t take long; his and Sam’s apartment was rather small, probably too small, in all honesty, but it was all they could afford. Even though Dean had a full time job as a teacher’s aide at the local elementary school, he got paid a pittance. And with Sam going to college and having no time to get a job on his own, it was up to Dean to pay the bills.

Dean clambered into the shower and washed off, cleaning himself out and rinsing away the smell of Alpha and sex. Part of him was sad to wash it away; he had liked Castiel’s scent. But he knew that he couldn’t very well go around stinking like sex and sweat and strange Alpha, so it was for the best. Besides, he would always have his memories to jerk off to if need be.

He climbed into bed after that, drifting off to dreams of blue eyes and warm hands that made him feel safe when they touched him.

The next day Sam went for an early morning jog, and by the time he got home Dean was just waking up. He brought coffee and bagels from the dingy little café around the corner from their apartment building. Their coffee was always a bit too sweet and their bagels a bit too hard, but it was food, and by all standards it was edible. They sat at the kitchen table and ate together, an awkward silence falling between the two of them. Sam, of course, was the first to speak.

“Look, man, I’m sorry about last night…”

“Hey, it’s no problem bro. I’m used to it.”

Sam sighed and hung his head, shaking it slightly before he looked back up at Dean. “I just don’t get it… You’re smart, Dean. You’re family oriented. Why don’t you want a mate?”

Dean shrugged, standing up and picking up their garbage. He walked into the kitchen, dumping it into the trash can and going to the sink to wash his hands.

“I just don’t see myself ever letting some Alpha boss me around. The whole ‘barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen’ thing has never really appealed to me, you know?”

Sam frowned and stood up, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching his brother. “You don’t want pups? Since when?”

Dean huffed out a sigh. “That’s not what I said, Sam. Of course I want pups, someday. Doesn’t everyone? But I don’t want it to be the only thing I ever have,” he paused, tilting his head to the side and biting his lips, “Do you get what I’m saying?”

Sam nodded, flipping his hair over his shoulder and blinking up at his older brother. “Yeah, I get you.”

Dean looked at his brother for a few moments, wondering if he really did understand. Finally he sighed, wiping his hands off on his pant legs and clapping his hands together.

“You want to go do something? I think that Mall Cop is still playing at the cinema.”

“Uh, sure,” Sam smiled gratefully at his brother. “I’ll just go get changed into something more comfortable. It’s kind of chilly outside.”

“Okay. I should probably get changed too,” Dean said, turning and walking off to his bedroom. Sam did the same, and about twenty minutes later they were ready to go.

They spent a nice day together, the two brothers, but Dean couldn’t help but let his mind wander a bit. He kept thinking about Cas, about the way he had smelled, the way he had felt against him. He somehow regretted not getting the guy’s number- then, at least, they’d be able to hookup again. The dude had one hell of a cock.

They wound up staying at the theatre for a couple of movies, and by the time they got out, it was dinner time. They grabbed some burgers from the Roy Rogers down the street from their apartment, then stopped to get gas. As Dean was filling up the tank of the Impala, Sam went into the Quick Mart, and as Dean had predicted the night before he had a pie in his hands when he came back out. Dean smiled as he slid into the driver’s seat, snatching the pie from Sam’s hands.

“Is this you trying to make up for what you said last night?” Dean asked. Sam blushed and ducked his head, and Dean reached over to pat his shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it, Sammy. Like I said, all is forgiven.”

“Shut up and eat your pie, jerk,” Sam grumbled, shrugging Dean’s hand off his shoulder and looking out the window. Dean grinned.

“Stupid bitch,” he mumbled as he smiled and turned the key in the ignition, starting up the engine and pulling out of the gas station. He drove them back to their apartment, parking in their reserved space and turning the car off. He and Sam ate the pie in the car, spilling sugary crumbs all over the seats. One it was all gone they finally got out of the car and went back up to their apartment.

Sam went to shower as soon as they got into their home, and Dean took himself to his room, laying down on his bed and closing his eyes. He sighed, smiling to himself as he thought about the day he had spent with his brother. It was nice to be on Sammy’s good side, when they got along.

Things started to get awkward when his thoughts drifted to Castiel. He swallowed and bit his lips as he began to think of Cas; the way the Alpha had moved above him, inside of him. He swallowed and reached down, palming at his cock through his jeans. He was already hard, and the smell of his slick filled the air around him as images of Castiel’s naked body played through his mind.

He continued to rub at himself through his jeans, small Omega cock straining against the denim of his pants as he imagined Castiel above him, growling and biting at his skin, pushing deep inside of his body. His cock had been so big, had filled Dean so nicely, and Dean felt his hole flutter and produce slick at the memory. He whimpered and grabbed at himself, pinching his nipples through his shirt. He was just getting into it when he heard a gagging sound in his doorway.

“Close your fucking door if you’re going to do that, Dean!” Sam screamed from his doorway, towel draped over the Alpha’s waist as he stood there. Dean’s cheeks turned scarlet and his erection immediately went down, humiliation flushing through his body.

“Well what are you doing just standing there, you creep?!” He retaliated, still blushing. 

“My room is right next to yours, sex freak!” Sam yelled back, then turned and stormed off to his bedroom. Dean groaned and threw himself back against his pillows, groaning into the sheets and wishing that he would just spontaneously combust.

The next day was Monday, and Dean had work to go to. He made sure to be up and ready to leave before Sam had even woken up, still embarrassed about the night before and not willing to have any awkward encounters with his brother. Lucky for him, Sam didn’t have any classes until noon time on Mondays, so he was able to slip out the door before Sam had woken up.

He stopped for breakfast on the way to work, ordering himself an Egg McMuffin and a coffee from the drive thru. He knew that it wasn’t the best thing he could have for breakfast; himself, he could make a better homemade bacon egg and cheese sandwich than anything he could have ordered from a drive thru. But as he glanced at the clock on his dashboard, he knew that he was already running late for work, and he hadn’t had any time to make his own breakfast.

He parked his car in his spot in the teacher’s parking lot, swiping into the building and heading to the office to clock in. He arrived in the office, leaning against the front desk and grinning at the secretary, an Alpha named Charlie.

“I got you a coffee,” he said, handing her a cup. She took it from him, smiling.

“Thanks, bro. I didn’t hear from you this weekend. What did you get up to?” She asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Dean blushed, glaring at her.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Oh, come on, Winchester. There is no way you walk in here grinning on a Monday and handing out coffee for no reason. Did you meet somebody?”

Dean heaved a heavy sigh, tapping his fingers against the desk. He refused to look at Charlie for a few moments, finally casting his eyes on the redheaded Alpha after several seconds. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

“No, Charlie, I didn’t meet anybody. Not- well, I did meet somebody. But we’re not dating. It was just a one-time thing.”

“Oh,” Charlie nodded, still smiling at him. “Well, he obviously put you in a good mood, so whoever he is I’m happy he could make you… you know.” She wiggled her eyebrows again and Dean rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, he was… pretty well endowed. If you know what I mean,” Dean couldn’t help but grin as Charlie’s eyes shot wide open. She giggled and smiled at him, leaning closer.

“Please, tell me more,” she whispered, tapping the eraser of her pencil against her lips. Dean smiled and glanced around, then shook his head.

“Later. Right now I’ve got a class full of rambunctious seven year olds to get ready for.”

“Have fun,” Charlie grinned, turning back to the computer and starting to type. Dean smiled and slid away from her desk, grabbing some flyers from his mailbox and making his way down the hallway to his and his fellow teacher’s classroom. He smiled when he saw that Lisa was already in the classroom setting up. He walked over to the desk in the front of them room and set down the papers in his hand on the desk.

“Good morning, Mrs. Braeden.”

“Morning, Dean,” she smiled brightly at the Omega. “How was your weekend?”

“Okay… Sort of uneventful. And yours?” He asked. Lisa sighed.

“Ben’s got the flu, so we were stuck inside all weekend,” she sighed, “the poor thing was miserable.”

“Damn. Is he feeling better now, at least?” Dean asked, raising his coffee cup to his lips. Lisa nodded.

“A little bit. He’s staying home from school today with his grandma, but he should be fine,” she sighed and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, smiling up at Dean. “You ready for this week? Read Across America only comes once a year,”

“Believe me, I know. I was thinking maybe we could have them bring in each of their favorite books later in the week. They could present them to the class,”

“I like that idea. That takes care of story time for the rest of the week,” Lisa smiled and picked up the flyers that Dean had set down on her desk. Then she glanced up at the clock, licking her lips. “Now, are you going to go round them up from the playground, or do you want me to do it?”

“I’ll do it,” Dean said, setting his coffee down on the desk and glancing out the window. Crowds of young children were gathered outside of the school, waiting to get in to their classes. Dean couldn’t help but smile fondly at the sight of the students; as much as he did tend to complain about his job and how annoying some of the kids were, but the truth was that Dean loved being a teacher.

Ever since he was a teenager, Dean had loved spending time with kids. Taking care of pups. He loved to show them new things and teach them about the world. When he was sixteen, years before his father had disowned him, he would often babysit for his brother and his cousins Jo and Ash. They were young then, twelve, seven and four, and they had been so much fun to play with. He had taught them how to read and how to cook. At times, it felt like they were his only friends in the world.

Really, they had been.

Now, it only seemed fitting that he would have a career working with children. They were so young and innocent- no yet presented and not yet aware of the stereotypes of the world. Children didn’t care if he was mated or not; they only cared that he was nice to them. And he was, always. He worked with them gently and with patience, and he loved to see them learn and thrive. They were the future, he knew. And he hoped that if they were the future, he’d be able to help them grow up right, at least in any way that he could.

The day went by smoothly, and so did the rest of the week. The next weekend, Dean didn’t go out to the bar. He told himself that it was because he didn’t want to piss Sam off, and he believed it as the truth. But pissing Sam off had never been a concern of his before.

On Sunday morning, Dean was getting dressed when he looked in the mirror and saw how long his hair had grown. He frowned, pushing his blonde hair to the side.

“Jeez, I’m starting to look like Sam,” he mumbled to himself. He sighed and turned away from the mirror, going back to his bedroom and changing out of his bed clothes and into some jeans and a tee shirt. He walked out into the kitchen, grabbing his keys. Sam looked up from the text book he was studying, raising his eyebrows at his brother.

“Where’re you going?”

“I need a haircut. I’m starting to look mangy, like you,” he said. Sam snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I do not look _mangy_ , Dean.”

“Do too,” he smirked slightly, reaching over and mussing up his brother’s hair. Then he grabbed his wallet and walked out the door.

He took his time getting to the hair salon, stopping to grab himself a bagel from Dunkin Donuts along the way. It took him about twenty minutes to get to the barber’s shop, but when he walked in, he was greeted happily by his usual hair dresser.

“Hey, there you are! You know, I was just thinking to myself that it was about time you came in for his haircut. You want the usual?” She asked as she pulled out a chair near the sink, making a space for Dean. The Omega smiled and took his seat, leaning back in then washing chair and smiling at his hair dresser.

“Sure thing, Kali.”

\---

Dean leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of warm water washing over his scalp. He heard Kali pump a handful of shampoo into her palm, and then he felt the Alpha’s strong fingers massaging at his hairline.

“So, how’ve you been doing? Your brother still going to KU?”

“Yeah. He’s loving it too. Been staying up all night studying, though. Kid barely has time for meals these days… it kind of sucks.”

“I’m sure it does. My mate Gabriel went to college there… Needless to say, he dropped out halfway through his second semester. He said there were too many essays.” Kali chuckled, picking up the shower nozzle and testing the temperature with her hand. Once she deemed it a suitable temperature she began to rinse Dean’s scalp.

“He went to KU? Huh, small world.” Dean opened his eyes, blinking up at Kali. The hairdresser hummed her confirmation, pressing the shower nozzle to Dean’s skull to get the last of the shampoo suds out. Then she switched the water off and draped a towel over the Omega’s head.

“Yup. We met there, actually. He was a theology major… Going to become a priest,” she snorted, shaking her head as he scrubbed Dean’s hair dry and gestured for him to stand up. “I guess that’s didn’t work out, or else we wouldn’t be mated right now,” she paused, sighing softly. “Freshman year his sister passed away and he realized, I think, if something so horrible could happen to such an innocent person like her, then God must not really exist anyway,” she paused, frowning to herself. “So, I guess it wasn’t just the essays that made him drop out, in the end.”

Dean was almost stunned into silence by Kali’s words. He was silent, almost for too long, before he realized that he should probably respond. He cleared his throat. “Yeah… I could never really dig all of that religion stuff. The only higher power I’ve ever known is alcohol, and I don’t think that’s changing any time soon,” he laughed.

“Same here,” Kali grinned. “Have you ever tried vodka soaked strawberries covered in chocolate sauce?”

“No. Is it good?” Dean asked as he sat down in the barber’s chair, tilting his head back so that Kali could remove the towel and start combing his hair out.

“Oh my God, is it good? It’s the best.” Kali grinned devilishly and leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. “Gabriel found a recipe for them online- and let me tell you- they were delicious. I think I’m gonna go home and make some tonight.”

“And what? You’re not going to invite me?” Dean teased, grinning up at the Alpha. She smirked.

“Well, you know, if Gabe ever wants to try a threesome…”

Dean laughed loudly, his entire body moving with the motion. Kali straightened him and turned away, reaching for her scissors and a thin, barbed comb. She began to snip away at Dean’s hair as the Omega came down from his laughing fit.

“Oh, please no. You two are probably into some sort of kinky shit...”

“Me?” Kali feigned shock as she looked into Dean’s face through the mirror. “No, believe it or not it’s Gabe who’s the kinky one. He likes to be tied down a lot,” she said with a wink. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and I bet you love that too.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows at the Alpha. Kali shrugged.

“A girl has her needs,” she said wistfully, pausing for a moment to consider her question before he asked it. “How about you? Any developments in your love life?” She knew from past conversations with the Omega that Dean was very touchy on the subject of mating, so she typically tried to steer clear of it as a topic. But her curiosity had gotten the best of her this time.

Dean sighed heavily, scrubbing a hand over his face before he responded to Kali’s question. “Sam and I just got into a big fight over this the other night.” He said after a few moments. Kali’s eyebrows scrunched together.

“Over your love life? Doesn’t really seem like a thing your brother should be involved in,” she said, snipping away at Dean’s hair. The Omega rolled his eyes.

“Don’t I know it. But no- he was pissed at me because I came home stinking like some Alpha after I hooked up with him. Told me I was never going to find a mate if I kept sleeping around.”

“Oh. Wow.” Kali was silent for a few moments as she continued to cut Dean’s hair. Snip snip snip. Dean watched tufts of his dirty blonde hair scatter across the linoleum, and he sighed heavily.

“Yeah, I know. I told him to shut the hell up, anyway. Besides, even if I was looking for a mate–which I’m not–I wouldn’t want to be with some Alpha who judges my character by the amount of people I’ve had sex with.”

“I wouldn’t either, if I were you.” She agreed.

“Too bad there don’t seem to be any such Alphas in existence,” Dean grumbled. Kali frowned.

“Hey, what about me?”

Dean snorted. “You’re not nice,” he answered. Kali laughed, a toothy grin spreading across her face.

“You’re right.”

Dean smiled a little and looked up at his hairdresser, biting his lips. “You know what I mean, though. You’re a decent person, at least. You wouldn’t rape some Omega or harass one in a bar or anything.”

“Of course not,” Kali frowned, reaching out and ruffling Dean’s hair before continuing to snip at his wet locks. “And Alphas who do shit like that deserve to be punished.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed, slumping back in his chair. “The problem is that any decent Alpha who thinks like that is already mated off, or gay. And it sucks.”

“I guess you’re right.” she sighed sadly, shaking her head as she set the scissors down and picked up a buzzer. She set it to the lowest setting and started to run it across Dean’s scalp when it hit her. “Oh!” She exclaimed. Dean’s eyes widened in fear.

“What happened? You didn’t make me bald, did you?” Dean asked frantically, reaching for his hair. Kali batted his hand away.

“No, no. I just thought of someone! My brother in law- he’s all into Omega’s Rights, and he’s a single Alpha, too.”

“Really?” Dean’s interest was piqued now. “What’s he look like? You should set us up on a date,” Dean said, making his eyebrows jump.

Kali chuckled and shook her head. “Sorry, no can do. He lives all the way in Chicago.”

“Oh.” Dean sighed dejectedly. “See what I mean? All of the good Alphas are out of my reach.”

“Aw, lighten up. Your mate is out there somewhere, just waiting for you to come along and find them. Hell, maybe you’ve already found them and you just don’t know it.” Kali said, shutting the buzzer off and placing it on her cosmetology table. She picked up a mirror and held it up to the back of Dean’s head. “You like it, or do you want it a bit shorter?”

“No, it’s perfect.” Dean stood up, running his hands back and forth through his hair a few times to get rid of all the loose particles. Then he dug his wallet out of his back pocket, opening it up. “How much do I owe you?”

“Fourteen dollars.” Kali said, grabbing a broom and beginning to sweep. Dean handed her a twenty, smiling kindly at the Alpha.

“Thanks for the cut.”

“Always a pleasure.” Kali said, pocketing the cash. Dean grabbed his jacket, walking to the door.

“See you soon,” he called back, waving to Kali as he left the shop. He walked back out to the Impala, leaning against the car door and wondering where he should go. He didn’t want to go back to his apartment just yet; it was too cramped in there for him and Sam to stay in the same place for too long before they started to grate on each other’s nerves. He must have leant there for a while, and finally he decided to go to the store. Maybe he would pick up some ingredients for those vodka strawberries that Gabriel was talking about.

He climbed into the Chevy and turned up the tunes, driving to the nearest Walmart. He loaded up on some groceries for the week, since he realized that he and Sam were sort of out of food. Not to mention that he had the weirdest craving all of a sudden for hamburgers and pickles. Fuck, when had been the last time he had a good pickle?

He wound up spending nearly one hundred dollars on groceries, and he winced as the cashier swiped his debit card in the machine. She was a nice old Omega woman, and she smiled kindly at Dean as he loaded his items into his bags. He smiled back at her, loading up his cart and walking away.

When he got home, Sam was shocked to see that his arms were laden heavy with bags. He quickly rushed forward and grabbed some from Dean’s arms, hefting the groceries to the kitchen.

“What’s all this for?” Sam asked as he unloaded the bags, pulling out ground meat, buns, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles… There were like three jars of pickles. Sam raised his eyebrows at his brother.

“Are we having people over or something?”

“No,” Dean shrugged and snatched the bags away from Sam. “I just figured we could use a home cooked meal for once. And I wanted a hamburger.”

“Oh. Alright,” Sam smiled and leaned against the counter, watching as Dean made quick work of unloading the bags and getting the kitchen ready for dinner. “Do you need any help?”

“It’s okay, Sammy. I’ve got this,” he said, the paused. “Although… If you want to help, I think that there’s strawberries in one of these bags. Do you think that you could de-stem them, then grab one of those old empty jam jars from the cupboard and fill it up with vodka?”

Sam raised his eyebrows, but did as he was told. “So what is the end goal here? Alcoholic fruit?”

“Dipped in chocolate.” Dean grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Sam snorted.

“Sounds fancy.”

“The hairdresser told me about it. Sounded tasty.”

“Dude, what is with you today? You got some sort of tapeworm or something?” he laughed as Dean reached out and snatched one of the strawberries he was about to cut. The Omega rolled his eyes. “Shut up and get to work.”

Sam grinned at his brother, shaking his head slightly before he did as he was told. Even for an Omega, Dean sure was bossy as hell.

\---

When Dean went into work that Monday, he was greeted at the front desk by a bubbly Charlie. Before he could even ask her what was going on, she was practically scrambling on top of him to yell at him.

“Dean! I found the perfect Alpha for you! I mean, absolutely perfect. She’s nice, she’s funny, handsome… not to mention that the rumor on the streets is that she’s got a pretty nice knot… And she’s available! You’ve got a date with her this Friday.”

The information came tumbling out of Charlie’s mouth, hitting Dean full force right in the face. He nearly spit out the coffee in his mouth- the coffee he hadn’t even had a chance to swallow before Charlie had bombarded him- as he did a double take.

“I- what? You set me up on a date?” he asked a little too loudly, it seemed, since the other secretaries in the office turned to look at him. He pushed Charlie back to her seat, scowling at her. “Why the hell did you do that? I don’t even know this girl.”

“I know, and I know how you feel about blind dates… But Dean, she’s perfect. I swear, Girl Scout’s Honor,” Charlie said, making the sign of the cross with her right hand. Dean rolled his eyes.

“You are neither a Girl Scout nor a Christian, Bradbury.”

“Yeah, but what I am is a matchmaker.” She grinned, batting her eyelashes at Dean. He sighed.

“Fine. Uh… So what does this Alpha look like? Is she hot or something?”

“Only positively.” Charlie grinned, pulling out her iPhone and unlocking it. She went straight to her camera roll, pulling up a picture of a pretty brunette girl. “Her name is Carmen Porter. We’re on the same archery team at the rec center.”

Dean raised his eyebrows at Charlie. “You do archery?”

“A girl’s got to stay in shape,” she shrugged, wiggling the phone in front of Dean’s face. “So? What do you think?”

“She’s good looking, he said simply, leaning against the counter top. “When did you say I have a date with her?”

“This Friday at six, at that new bar on 5th Street. You know what it’s called… Um, The Tipsy Cow. Stupid name, I know,” she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’ll text you her number, so you guys can get to know each other a little bit beforehand,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows at the Omega, who rolled his eyes in response and turned to grab some papers from his mailbox.

“Okay. I’ll see you at lunch, then.”

“Bye…” Charlie waved to him, still smiling as she turned back to her computer. A few minutes later Dean got the text message form Charlie, the message, “GOOD LUCK! ” written in all capital letters next to Carmen’s number. Dean sighed and stuffed his phone into his bag, ignoring it as the children filed into the classroom.

It wasn’t that Dean was against dating. It was just… he didn’t feel any need to. And while he was usually opposed to dating because of the presumption of mating that it came along with, it wasn’t like that this time. This time, Dean didn’t want to date simply because he didn’t feel like it. Which was sort of weird in itself, but Dean didn’t give it much thought.

The truth was that ever since his hook-up with Castiel, Dean seemed to be turned off by the idea of having sex with somebody else. He knew it was stupid and that he was never going to see Cas again, but the feeling was still there. The idea of fornicating with anybody besides that Sex God of a man seemed… icky. Gross.

Not that he was going to turn down a free date on a Friday night where he would otherwise be cooped up in his apartment listening to Sam do quiz bowl shots with his best friend Kevin. No, he would much rather go out and have a good time with this beautiful Alpha that Charlie was setting him up with. Who knew? Maybe she was right and they would be perfect for each other. Maybe he would even want to sleep with her. The possibilities were endless.

\---

By the time that Friday rolled around, Dean was restless. Sam seemed excited too, and on Friday morning he even showed Dean some support by making breakfast for the two of them before he had to go to his morning Human Resources class. Dean shuffled into the kitchen to the smell of bacon and eggs, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. He had hardly gotten a lick of sleep the night before, and the bags under his eyes showed it.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, frowning as he flipped the eggs in the pan and stepped away from the resulting splatter. Dean nodded and shuffled over to the coffee maker, pouring himself a cup.

“M’fine, Sammy. Just couldn’t get to sleep last night.”

“Nervous for your date?” He teased. Dean rolled his eyes in response.

“No. I just..,” he trailed off with a sigh, raising his now full cup of coffee to his lips. When he set it down again he was blushing. “Well, I guess I’m a little nervous. I haven’t been on a real date in a while.”

Sam grinned and served their breakfast onto large plates, handing Dean’s serving to him. “Don’t worry about it, bro. You’re going to be fine.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at Sam. “I know that,” he said, snatching the plate from his brother and turning to leave the kitchen. “I don’t need relationship advice from my little brother…”

“I’m sorry, Dean, I didn’t quite catch that,” Sam quipped.

“I said you’re a bitch!” Dean called to him from the dining room, where he had set his plate down and was now eating. Sam grinned and turned back to the stove, serving his own breakfast on to a plate and grabbing a cup to fill with coffee.

\---

Later that evening, Dean was seated across from the beautiful Alpha, Carmen Porter, having a wonderful time. She laughed at all of his jokes, she was kind, she was smart, and most important of all she seemed to accept Dean for who he was. They enjoyed each other’s company over cosmos and beer, giggling to each other with little jokes and cute anecdotes.

Dean learned that Carmen was a dietitian, and she had been previously mated to an Omega who had cheated on her and left her. She had gone to school in Kentucky, close to her hometown where she grew up with her two brothers, but had moved out to Kansas when she got offered a really good job. She seemed genuinely interested when Dean talked about his own career; not put off but the fact that he worked at all.

They wound up making out at the bar by the end of the night, her hands roaming his muscular body and squeezing at his arms. The taste of alcohol on her breath made Dean sigh, and he nuzzled up against her as he rubbed her inner thigh.

“You smell so good.” She purred, nosing at his neck and nibbling his earlobe. He purred and pressed closer to her body, feeling his hole begin to grow wet with slick. He pressed his erection up against her thigh, wrapping his arms around her neck.

“Take me home, Alpha?” He purred. She growled in response and nodded, tossing some cash on to the bar and taking Dean’s hand in her own. Dean smiled up at her as she led him out of the bar, stopping to kiss him again in the parking lot. They leaned against her Lexus, making out and letting their hands roam each other’s bodies.

Finally they pulled away from each other when somebody started hoking at them, and Dean blushed wildly as Carmen opened the passenger side door for him. His head was swimming with alcohol and the smell of pheromones, and he sighed as he reclined into the comfortable seat to her car.

The drive to Carmen’s apartment was a short one, and they giggled amongst themselves as they chased each other up to her apartment. Dean realized that Carmen liked to chase him- she was one of those Alphas that got off on it, as a primal thing- and he made sure to walk a bit faster down the hallway once they reached her floor.

“Dean, my apartment’s here.” Carmen called after him from down the hallway, laughing and smiling. Dean ran back to her, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing her as she let them in. She kissed him back, pulling the two of them inside and turning the light on. She hummed against his lips and sat him down on the couch.

“How about I go get us something to eat?” She purred, standing up straight. Dean was tempted to chase after her lips with his own, but he held himself back and smiled at her.

“How about some more wine?” He giggled. She nodded in agreement, leaning down to kiss him once again.

“I’ll be right back… Don’t go anywhere, sexy.” She purred, then walked off to the kitchen. Dean sighed and leaned back on the soft couch, letting his body sink into the comfortable cushion. It must have been made of down, because right now, it felt like the most comfortable thing Dean had ever sat on. Then, maybe that was the alcohol in his system. He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment.

Carmen walked back in a few minutes later, smiling as she set two glasses of wine and some cheese down on the coffee table.

“I hope this is okay.” She said. When Dean didn’t respond she frowned, looking up to see that the Omega was sound asleep on her couch. She pouted some, then thought about how adorable he looked, and then finally sighed heavily and walked over to the couch, lifting the sleeping Omega into her strong Alpha arms and carrying him off to bed, so that he could get a proper night’s sleep rather than toughing it on the couch.

\---

The next morning was awkward, to say the least. No matter how many times Dean apologized, Carmen kept insisting that it was okay. But it sure didn’t feel okay, and Dean was worried that he had hurt the Alpha’s feelings.

He stayed for breakfast as a cordiality, pecking her lips at the door when he was about to leave. She didn’t kiss him back, though, and he felt his Omega recoil at the rejection.

“I’d like to do this again. I promise I won’t fall asleep again, either,” he chuckled, trying to play it off as a joke, but somehow it didn’t seem funny. Carmen smiled kindly at him, though.

“We’ll see. Text me.”

“I will,” Dean answered, hoping that he didn’t sound too desperate. Then he left her apartment, going down to the street and hailing a taxi to take him back to the restaurant, where he realized her had left the Impala.

He got home around noon to find that Sam was still asleep. He realized, upon entering their apartment, that it smelled like a Beta had been there. He frowned at that, because Sam was an Alpha, and the house shouldn’t really smell like anybody else. He crept over to Sam’s door quietly, easing it open and peeking inside. He was greeted by the sight of his brother, sprawled out naked on the bed and tangled around some pretty brunette Beta girl like a sloth hugging a tree. He quickly closed the door and went to the living room to watch TV.

About an hour later he heard some noise, and then Sam came into the kitchen. He glanced over at Dean, smiling sleepily.

“Hey. How’d your date go?” he asked, though there was a smirk on his lips that suggested he thought he knew how it went already. Dean rolled his eyes.

“It was horrible. I fucked it all up… Fell asleep on her couch.”

“You what?” Sam gaped at his brother. Dean blushed fiercely and huffed, looking away.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I guess I was just so tired… I didn’t sleep at all the night before.” He frowned and looked down at his shoes. Sam reached out and patted his shoulder.

“You were just nervous. You haven’t been on a real date in a while… It was probably a little overwhelming. Was she okay?”

“She told me it was fine, but I don’t think we’re going to have a second date,” Dean frowned, silent for a few moments before he looked up at Sam. He smirked a bit. “So… who’s the little lady you’ve got in there?”

Now it was Sam’s turn for his cheeks to turn crimson, and he fiddled idly with the handle of the spatula he was holding. His eyes flickered over to the door of his bedroom and he cleared his throat.

“She… her name is Ruby. We have some classes together.”

“Okay… That still doesn’t explain how she got into your bed. I mean, I thought that you were supposed to be getting drunk and studying with Kevin last night,” Dean chuckled as he wiggled his eyebrows at his brother. Sam huffed out a heavy sigh.

“I don’t spend all of my time studying, Dean, contrary to popular belief. And we’ve been dating for a few months. Almost three, actually,” he scratched the back of his neck, a small smile playing on his lips as he cracked some eggs into the pan on the stove. Dean gaped at his brother.

“And when were you going to tell me this?” He demanded. Sam shrugged.

“Eventually. I just didn’t want to tell you before it got too seriously. Plus…”

“Sneaking around is kind of extremely sexy.” A voice came from the doorway of Sam’s bedroom. The Beta walked into the kitchen, a pair of Sam’s boxer shorts hanging low on her curvy hips and a tee shirt draped over her shoulders. She leaned up to peck Sam’s lips as a greeting, then smiled over at Dean. “You must be Sam’s older brother.”

“Dean.” He said, sticking out his hand. She smiled and took it in her grasp, flashing him a small smile.

“I always pictured you as smaller,” she said nonchalantly. Dean’s face fell a little, but he tried not to show it. Instead he cleared his throat, smiling tightly at his brother and his apparent girlfriend.

“I’m going to go shower. See you guys in a bit.”

“Have fun.” Ruby drawled, leaning closer to Sam and wrapping an arm around his hip. Sam smiled down at her, glancing waywardly at his brother and nodding.

“Yeah. We’ll save you some food.”

“Thanks,” Dean mumbled, then shuffled out of the room and off towards the bathroom to take a long, hot shower and try not to hate his life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Need You Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM213aMKTHg) by Lady Antebellum

The bed creaked loudly, headboard slamming against the wall of Castiel’s bedroom. The Alpha moved frantically on the bed, a pillow curled up into a ball beneath his hips as he humped it desperately. His hips jerked against the cloth, humping against the soft material violently. He thrust his hips back and forth, back and forth, until he finally came in his pants with a feral snarl. His own climax awoke him, and he blinked blearily up at the ceiling as he rolled off of the ruined pillow.

He could feel his release running down his leg, sticky and thick where he had popped a knot in his sleep. He glared at the ceiling for one, two, three seconds before he swung his legs over the side of his bed, padding across his bedroom floor and towards the en suite bathroom. The floor was cool beneath his feet, and he relished in the feeling of it, realizing for the first time that he was drenched in sweat from head to toe. He stumbled his way into the bathroom, his pants chafing against his sensitive knot as he went.

He came to a stop in front of the mirror, pushing his sweat damp hair out of his face and blinking back at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and glowing Alpha red, his face soaked with sweat. _Rutting,_ he realized with a scowl, turning the faucet on and splashing cool water on to his face. It did little good to make him look better, though, because he was still a mess.

He stripped out of his clothes, leaving a trail of his shirt, pants and underpants on the floor leading to the shower. Then he closed the door and clambered into the bath, turning the faucet on so that cold water sprayed from the showerhead. He sighed and reached for the shampoo, scrubbing it into his scalp.

He washed his way down his body, cleaning away the sweat and spunk that was drying into his skin. That was how he found himself staring down at his own cock, rock hard, red and swollen despite the fact that he had just popped his knot less than ten minutes ago. He glared at it for a moment or two, cursing his biology as he reached out to touch his sisitive member.

Naturally, Cas’s rut would come regularly once every three months. But for the past ten months or so Cas had been on suppressants, too busy with work to have the time to take off for a rut every three months. Well, if he wanted to be promoted, anyway. So going into rut spontaneously like this came as a surprise to Castiel. He chalked it up to the false mating, glaring at his raging erection as cold water beat down on it from above.

Still, as much as he hated it, he wound up leaning against the wall beating one out. He cursed everyone he could think of as he did it too–God for even making him present as an Alpha in the first place, Gabriel for making him go out to that damn bar, even Dean. Fuck… Precious, sweet little Dean. How he wanted to hold him in that moment, press him up against the shower door and kiss him, rut against him, make him scream his name…

Castiel came with a cry, coating the shower door with thick globs of cum and watching them get washed down the drain. He let out a heavy sigh and slumped back against the wall, his body completely slack now as he sunk down to the shower floor.

He sat there for some time, enjoying the cold spray of water against his overheated body. Somewhere in his brain it occurred to him that he should probably get out soon, before the water started to freeze his limbs off, but he couldn’t bring himself to stand up. His head was pounding and his body aching, the sore knot between his legs simply throbbing with pain. So he sat there in the cold for almost half an hour, until his knot had gone down, and he could hear his phone ringing in the bedroom.

With much effort he lifted himself up from the shower floor, turning the faucet off and wrapping a towel around his waist. He shuffled back into his bedroom, hair still dripping wet as he reached for his phone and quickly hit the _SEND_ button.

“Castiel Milton.” He practically growled into the receiver, sitting down on the edge of his bed. Samandriel’s voice came through the other end of the phone, and Castiel scowled at the sound of his Omega receptionist’s voice piercing into his ears.

“Sir, are you coming in today? Or should I cancel your meeting with Zachariah?” He asked. Castiel sighed.

“Cancel it, Sam,” he said shortly. “My suppressants have failed. I probably won’t be in for the rest of the week.”

“Oh, jeez,” Samandriel sounded sympathetic, and then Castiel could hear him typing on the other end of the phone. “Okay, well, I’m forwarding you some emails right now. Do you think you’ll have time to look at them?”

“Sure, yes.” Cas said, standing up and walking over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of boxer shorts and some sweat pants, dropping the towel and sliding into his underwear. “Just call me if anything urgent happens.”

“Of course, sir,” Samandriel said quickly. “I hope you feel better soon.”

“Thank you, Sam. Is that all?” Castiel asked, his tone laced thick with annoyance. He wasn’t typically so short with Samandriel; the boy was a good secretary, and he was very kind too. But right now all Castiel could think about was how much Samandriel’s voice grated on his ears, and how the knot in his pants that was already starting to fill. 

“Um, yes. I’ll talk to you in a bit, Mr. Milton,” he said, and then hung up. Castiel tossed his phone back onto his bed and pulled his sweatpants on. Then he padded his way into the kitchen, finding that the floor he had thrown up on the night before was spotless. He made a mental note to send Hannah a text message thanking her as he pulled some eggs out of the fridge and began to make himself breakfast.

He ate his food right on the kitchen counter where he had made it, washing his plate off and shuffling back towards the bedroom. His entire body ached, he had a pounding headache, and his cock was positively throbbing inside of his pants. He tried to ignore it, though, knowing from past experience that his ruts typically lasted for days and if he didn’t want his cock to be stripped raw by the end of the week, he better put off masturbating for as long as he could. 

He turned on the television in his bedroom and started to watch a cooking program, the Beta chef explaining the recipe for some sort of fancy lamb dish. And yet Castiel couldn’t help it that his thoughts kept wandering back to Dean and the night they had spent together. He knew that it was his rutting brain trying to tell him what his body wanted, what it _needed_ , but all that it did for Cas was irritate him. After all, he knew that it was probably Dean’s fault that he was rutting in the first place. The false mating had somehow made his suppressants fail and triggered a rut. Biologically speaking, it would have been great if he was truly mated to Dean. After all, the point of mating was to have pups, and what better way to make pups than to go into rut?

But Castiel wasn’t mated. He was as single as an Alpha could get, he lived alone, and he didn’t have the time for stupid things like ruts; not when he had a company to run, anyway. Yet here he was with an aching erection in his pants and nobody to help him but himself.

He held off for as long as he could manage, waiting until his knot was just about ready to pop on its own before he even dared to pull his pants down and give his cock a squeeze. He could feel his knot inflating already, letting him know that his body was ready to mate with his Omega and impregnate them. He huffed in annoyance and carefully began to stroke the sensitive flesh, biting down on his lip to contain his moans. The last thing that he needed was his neighbor Mrs. Tran and her ten year old son to hear him masturbating in his bedroom.

He came embarrassingly quickly, coating his bare chest in thick layers of cum as his knot inflated to its full size. He wound up glaring down at it, swollen and purple and fucking _throbbing_ , cursing it and everything that it stood for. His headache had gotten even worse, probably because his body was never meant to orgasm so much within the span of one hour. He slid out of bed, not bothering to dress again as he went into the bathroom to fetch some Excedrin.

Of course it would be his luck that he was out of Excedrin when he needed it most. But Cas was pretty sure that he had an emergency bottle stored away _somewhere_ in his living room closet. So, still covered in his own cum, he began to rummage through the disorganized mess of his closet. He was about halfway through rummaging through his old stuff, piles of clothing spread out on the floor around him, when he found a heavy cardboard box he hadn’t seen since college. He carried it out of the closet and placed it on the floor beside his bed, popping the top open and gasping at the contents.

The box was filled with his old Alpha toys, ones he had used to get through his ruts during college. There were FleshLights, vibrators, even imitation knots all tucked away neatly inside the naughty little show box. He found an unopened bottle of Artificial Slick, and the moment that he popped the cap off of it he could feel his cock starting to throb in his pants.

He collected all of the items into his arms and stomped over to his couch, thoughts of finding that emergency bottle of Excedrin completely forgotten. His mind was completely focused on one thing now, and all he could think to himself was _fuck, knot, breed, knot_. He lay down on the bed and shimmied out of his pants, grasping his throbbing erection in his fist. Already he could feel how sensitive he was becoming, how raw his cock was, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He opened up the bottle of Artificial Slick again, and the smell of it filled the room, pungent and sweet.

He poured a generous amount of the stuff into his palm as he sat back on his cool leather couch, bringing it up to his nose and inhaling the scent of it. It smelled decent enough, if not a little bit like silicone, but he knew that it would do the job. He pulled his pants down and wrapped a slick fist around his cock. He squeezed his eyes shut, images of Dean popping into his mind. Fuck– Dean’s slick had been amazing. It had smelled like sweet spices and had tasted even better, and Cas thought about that as he moved his hand faster and faster over his cock. He imagined that it was Dean’s slick surrounding his cock, and his hips jerked wildly at the thought of fucking into the Omega’s tight, sweet hole.

He began to stroke himself frantically, little whimpers and gasps escaping his mouth as he fucked his cock into his own fist. He imagined that it wasn’t his own fist that he was fucking into, but Dean’s hole, and he began to fuck his fist even more frantically at the thought of such a thing.

“Dean, Dean…” He came quickly, his cum shooting out over the black leather couch. Cas didn’t move though, his chest heaving as he rode out the orgasm, his knot laying heavy and aching against his thigh. Cas sighed heavily and let go of it, bringing his fingers up to his lips and cleaning off the excess slick. His deflated cock twitched in interest and he groaned in pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

This was going to be a long week.

At some point he moved himself and his toys back to his bedroom. That was how Hannah found him when she came over around one o’clock to see how her brother was doing; lying on his bed aching and exhausted by still humping the mattress frantically, chasing an orgasm that would do little to soothe his raging libido. She ignored his nakedness, never having been the type to get squeamish over such a thing, and came to the side of his bed to look down at him sympathetically. Being an Alpha herself, she had experienced bad ruts before, and by the looks of her brother right now she could tell he was having a bad one. He was in the middle of humping his sheets when she came in, and he didn’t stop on her account– couldn’t stop– as she came to kneel by his bedside. He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, whimpering pathetically.

“Han…” He whimpered, still moving his hips against his mattress, his cock purple and swollen beneath him. He reached out and stilled his hips, raking her free hand through his sweaty hair.

“Cassie, it’s okay. I’m here now,” she soothed, petting his hair back out of his red, feral eyes. “Can you hear me?”

“Han… I-I want… D-Dean…” He choked off on a whimper, squeezing his eyes shut as his body began to quake. He clenched his jaw, his lips trembling as tears began to slide down his cheeks. “I need him. My mate… I need him…”

“Shh, Cas..,” Hannah’s heart broke at the sight of her brother, defeated and crying in the middle of his bed. “He’s not your mate, remember? It’s just a false mating.”

“But I need..,” he whimpered loudly, desperately, his fingers tightening around fistfuls of brand new sheets. “I need him, Han, he’s my Omega. I’m his Alpha; he’s mine. I need him!”

“Shh,” Hannah quieted him again, standing up from her kneeling position and pulling on Cas’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

“No, I need..,” Castiel reached for his raw cock, making a noise somewhere between a whimper and a snarl when Hannah batted his hand away from his abused member.

“Leave that be. Come on, we’re gonna get you dressed and then head to the doctor,” she helped him up as she spoke, walking him over to his dresser and grabbing him a new pair of boxers. With much effort on her part she was able to get them on to her brother. From then on out dressing him was easy, and aside from the occasional pitiful whimper or complaint, Castiel was pretty cooperative. In all honesty, he was probably too weak to be _un_ cooperative.

Castiel was hardly coherent by the time that Hannah got him fully dressed and out of the apartment. He kept babbling about how he needed his mate, how he needed _Dean_. He had such conviction that Dean was his mate that it nearly broke Hannah’s heart, and as she helped him down the hallway his neighbor Mrs. Tran ran right into them, her arms laden with groceries. She looked over at Castiel worriedly.

“Is he okay?” She asked. Hannah nodded.

“I’m sure he’s fine. I’m taking him to the doctor now,” she replied. Mrs. Tran nodded and cast a sympathetic glance over at Castiel, who was looking around the hallway frantically, his eyes red and his nose scrunched up.

“Okay. Well, I hope he feels better soon,” she said. Hannah thanked her and turned, continuing to help Cas down the hallway as Mrs. Tran let herself into her apartment.

By the time that Hannah finally got them to the doctor’s office, Cas looked like he was about ready to pass out. He was sweating bullets the entire car ride to Dr. Michael Cohen’s office, and the entire car reeked of his pheromones. He flinched when Hannah reached out to touch his arm and tell him that they had arrived, nearly biting her hand off when she tried to get him out of the car. She had heard stories before of Alphas turning feral when a rut hit them hard, but she had always chalked those stories up to faux tales. Now, looking at her frantic, desperate brother, she wasn’t so sure, and she grew nervous to think that he might need to be restrained if his rut got any worse.

Eventually she got him into the doctor’s office, sitting him down on one of the waiting chairs as she went to explain the emergency situation to the receptionist. Castiel was obviously uncomfortable in the office, though, cringing when other people came a bit too close to him and wrinkling his nose up at their scents. There was an Omega sitting beside him who looked like he had the flu, and every time Castiel inhaled he looked as if he were going to vomit.

Once Hannah had explained the entire situation to the receptionist, she was quick to act on it. A kind Beta nurse was called to lead the two of them to the examination room where he would see Dr. Cohen. Hannah gave most of Castiel’s basic information to the nurse, but he couldn’t really concentrate on what she was sayin. He was too distracted by thoughts of Dean– thoughts of his mate– and where he could possibly be at that moment. Not to mention that the light in the room was so bright, and it was irritating his eyes. He must have been flinching because of it, though, because the nurse turned him to and asked him what was wrong.

“The… The lights…” He whimpered and scrubbed his hands over his eyes, trying to block them out from his vision. The nurse walked over to the door and turned a knob on the wall, dimming the lights in the room down significantly.

“Is that better?” She asked, reaching out and touching Cas’s knee. He cringed at her touch but nodded.

“Thank you.” He said. The nurse smiled.

“No problem. Anyway, Dr. Cohen will be with you in a few moments. Just sit tight,” she said, then bustled out of the room. Hannah watched her go, turning her attention back to her brother who was shivering again, his face scrunched up tightly. She reached out and stroked her fingers through his black hair, frowning when he whimpered and closed his eyes.

“Just relax, Cassie. We’re gonna get you some help,” she whispered, her voice soothing. Castiel shivered again and nodded, squeezing his eyes shut tight and trying not to think about Dean anymore. He hardly even noticed when the door opened and Michael walked in, setting his clipboard down on the counter and turning the faucet on to wash his hands.

“Hello, Castiel,” he smiled over at the young Alpha, who blinked up at him with red, bloodshot eyes. The doctor dried his hands, then picked up the clipboard again and glancing at it for a moment. “So… Your suppressants failed.”

Castiel simply whimpered in response, looking away from Dr. Cohen and wrapping his arms around himself. Hannah continued to stroke her fingers through his hair, answering for her brother. “Yes, they did. We believe that they failed because he’s suffering from a false mating.”

Dr. Cohen paused, raising his eyebrows and looking up at Cas. “A false mating? You do know that those are extremely rare, correct?”

“Yes… But I minored in Alpha Anatomy in college, and he’s showing all of the textbook signs of a false mating,” she paused, biting her lips. “He had this one night stand with an Omega almost two weeks ago, when he was visiting our brother in Kansas. Ever since, he’s been having these nesting instincts, has a sensitivity to light and touch, is repulsed by everybody’s scent... It’s really horrible, actually.”

“Hmm. Okay… Well, we can take a blood sample. If he is suffering from a false mating, his progesterone and estradiol levels will be elevated, because his body will be creating more hormones than usual. If he is suffering from the condition, as you say he is, it would also explain why his suppressants failed. ” He walked over to the computer, entering some information into Castiel’s file and pulling out his prescription pad. “I’m going to give him a higher prescription for his suppressants as well. He is currently at 500 MG of Callofine, and I’m raising him to 1000 MG. If he takes it once a day, he should be good,” he said, scribbling out a prescription and handing it to Hannah.

“I’ll be right back,” Dr. Cohen promised, then left the room. Hannah turned back to Cas, smiling softly at him as he blinked up at her with desperate eyes.

“You’re gonna be fine, Cas. Just stay with me now, and don’t go losing your mind on me.”

Castiel nodded, seeming to understand her words, and whimpered. “I just..,” he looked towards the door, then down at the floor. “I want my mate. I want Dean. Why isn’t he here?” He let out a desperate whine, tears filling his eyes again and running down his cheeks. “I just want him back, Hannah,” he cried. Hannah shushed him, pulling her brother into a gentle hug and stroking his hair back.

“It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay, Cas.”

He cried into her chest for a few more minutes, until Dr. Cohen came back in with a nurse and she had to step away. The nurse, another Beta, knelt beside the chair that Cas was sitting in and took his wrist into her hand, preparing the skin there for what Hannah could only assume would be a needle. Castiel growled at her when she first touched him, trying to pull away, but she had shushed him and pinned his arm down, ordering him to behave.

A blood sample was taken, two whole vials full, and by the time that they were done Castiel looked woozy on top of frenzied. He leaned heavily on Hannah as they stumbled out of the office, Dr. Cohen promising to call with the results by the end of the week. Until then, he advised, Castiel should stay home and start taking his new suppressants.

Hannah coaxed Castiel into eating a hamburger from McDonalds on the way home, since she knew he probably hadn’t eaten all day. Then they went and got his prescription filled at the pharmacy. He downed one of the pills with his soda from lunch, thanking Hannah quietly as they drove back to his apartment. He fell asleep on the couch the moment they walked through the door, and Hannah noted with a laugh that one of the side effects listed on the bottle was drowsiness.

Hannah went to the kitchen and quickly made Castiel something up for dinner; a pound of spaghetti and some frozen meatballs. She covered the pot up with some aluminum foil and stuck it in the fridge. She left a note for her brother taped to the coffee maker– because Castiel was a coffee addict and she knew from experience that the first thing he did after a nap was made coffee– explaining that she had to go home, but there was food for him in the fridge.

When Castiel woke up around six o’clock, he felt immensely better than he had before. He was at least coherent enough to take a warm shower, scrubbing himself clean of the sweat, spunk and pheromones on his body. He still had an erection when he climbed into the shower, but it wasn’t so intense that he absolutely _had_ to beat it out, and he had enough sense not to. His eyes were still bloodshot and he felt off tooas if his body might fail him at any moment and he would collapse onto the floor, but he chalked that up to the false mating and wondered when he would get his blood test results back from Dr. Cohen.

He toweled off and got dressed again, walking into the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He smiled fondly as he tore Hannah’s note off of the coffee maker, putting in a pot of Folgers to brew as he located his phone and dialed Hannah’s number.

She picked up on just the second ring. “Hey, Cas. How’re you feeling?’

“Much better,” Castiel answered honestly, smiling slightly. “See, I have this wonderful older sister who took care of me today.”

Hannah laughed. “Really? She sounds like a really amazing person.” 

“You really are. Thank you for taking care of me today… I was really in for the worst of it when you found me,” he paused, frowning. “I imagine that my bed reeks, actually.”

“Yeah, well, I hated seeing you sick like you were. But you sound better already.”

“I still feel pretty shitty, to be honest. Probably the false mating and everything, but I feel like one wrong move and I’ll vibrate right out of my own body.”

“I’m sorry. You think you’ll be okay alone for the night? I’m sure that Inias would be fine letting you come over and stay for the night.”

“No… I should be fine. Besides, I have some work I need to get done,” Castiel said with a sigh, realizing that he never had gotten the chance to review the emails that Samandriel had sent him.

“Okay. Make sure you don’t overwork yourself, though. I know you get so caught up in that stupid company…”

“It’s not a stupid company, Hannah, it’s my job,” Castiel sighed and moved to remove the coffee pot from the brewer, pouring himself a mug of the steaming substance. He went to the fridge and grabbed some milk, pouring it into the mug and stirring it in.

“Yeah, well, Dr. Cohen said that you should stay home from work for the nest week or so.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Castiel rolled his eyes. “Look, Han, I’m gonna get to work. Tell Inias I said hi.”

“Of course. Call me if anything comes up.”

“Will do. I love you,” he said. She returned the sentiment and he hung up, stuffing his phone into his pocket and taking several large gulps of his coffee. Then he shuffled off to his bedroom, sitting down at his desk and starting up his laptop.

The first couple emails he pulled up seemed irrelevant, or at least could be dealt with at a later date. It was the sixth email down that caught his attention, an email from Zachariah, the head of the Board of Directors chastising Castiel for not being at the meeting. He complained about the huge deal that the company was just about to pull off, how Castiel’s absence from work could mean a huge loss, and that he had no right to take two full weeks off from his job.

The email served only to irritate him, that is, until he reached the last line. Zachariah was threatening to replace him and his position if he didn’t come into work the next day!

Dr. Cohen be damned, Castiel was going to work tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [I'll Be There For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-9kPks0IfE) by The Rembrandts

Dean’s stomach grumbled loudly where he sat at the lunch table in the teachers’ lounge, and he blushed crimson as he sheepishly reached for his second Italian Sub. It was Thursday afternoon, a week after his date with Carmen, and the first time he had gotten a chance to have a real sit-down conversation with Charlie since then. Charlie raised her eyebrows at him from across the table, nudging his ankle with her leather boots.

“So, Hungry Man, I heard that your date with Carmen sort of fell flat,” she said, quietly. Dean snorted and looked away.

“If by ‘fell flat’ you mean ‘fell asleep’, then yeah, I guess you could say that’s right,” he sighed and set his sandwich down, having already devoured half of it. He wiped his hands off on a napkin and carded his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know what the hell happened, Charlie. One minute we were getting it on, and the next… I was just out like a light. It was so embarrassing.”

“Carmen said she thought you were trying to tease her,” Charlie responded, taking a sip from the Diet Coke that was sitting on the table in front of her. Dean groaned and she quickly reached out, patting his wrist. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. She didn’t seem too angry about it. I’m sure that if you gave her a call she’d be down for trying again.”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh, come on. You two are perfect for each other. Plus, at your wedding, I want to be able to take credit for it…”

“Oh my God..,” Dean groaned and tipped his chair back, rolling his eyes. Charlie grinned and laughed, reaching out to swat at Dean’s arm.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Why don’t you just call her, or text her?”

“I don’t know about it. I mean, you don’t get how _embarrassing_ it was, dude. I fell asleep on her couch! And then she carried me to freaking bed with her! It was humiliating.”

“You weren’t even conscious for it,” Charlie argued, crossing her arms over her chest. Dean shrugged.

“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t embarrassing.”

Charlie tipped her head back and groaned loudly, earning the attention of several other teachers who were hanging out around the room. “Just call her already!” She groaned. Dean shushed her, waving hands in front of her and quickly pulling out his cell phone.

“Fine, fine. Just shut up!” He hissed, unlocking his phone and scrolling through his contacts. He found Carmen’s name and number, biting his lips as he held down the _SEND_ button and held the phone up to his ear. Charlie gave him the thumbs up over the table and he rolled his eyes, about to tell her to go screw when Carmen’s voice came through the receiver.

_”Hello?”_

“Hey, Carmen! It’s Dean. From… uh, the other night,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. Charlie grinned at him from across the table and nodded, but he waved her off.

_”Oh, hey. What’s up?_

“Oh, not much. Just thinking how I royally messed up the other night on our date,” Dean chuckled, but it was a sort of pathetic sound, and Dean found that he was chastising himself for his choice of words after the fact. He couldn’t have said anything smoother than that? He couldn’t have said anything rather than _that_? Luckily, Carmen seemed sympathetic, and she chuckled.

 _“Yeah, well, I guess you were kind of cute when you fell asleep,”_ she paused, the continued, _“it was sort of rude, though.”_

“I want to make it up to you,” the words tumbled out of Dean’s mouth quickly, faster than he had meant for them to, and he blushed as Charlie smirked at him from across the table.

_“Yeah?”_

“Yeah. Let me take you out for drinks… tomorrow. My treat. I know this great bar we can go.”

 _“Oh. That sounds nice,”_ Carmen said, and she sounded genuinely pleased. Dean smiled and gave the thumbs up to Charlie, who squeaked and began to clap quietly. 

“Cool. Do you want me to pick you up at your place?”

_“I can take a taxi there, it’s fine. What’s the place called?”_

“The Roadhouse. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there; it’s right off of Madison Avenue…”

 _“Oh, I know the place. I’ve never been there before. It should be fun to try though,”_ Carmen said, and Dean smiled.

“I’m looking forward to showing you around, then. How’s nine o’clock?”

_“Nine sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dean.”_

“Bye, Carmen,” Dean said, and with a heavy sigh he hung up, tossing his phone onto the table. Charlie beamed at him.

“Now was that so hard after all?”

\---

Sam frowned at Dean as he shoveled down his dinner on Friday night, licking his fingers clean of the marinara sauce he had managed to get all over his face while eating. Somehow, despite being nearly twenty-four years old, Dean still managed to eat like a five year old. When Dean looked up he caught Sam’s disapproving glare he grinned, reaching for a napkin and wiping off his hands

“Delicious, Sammy. You could be a world class chef.”

“It was literally five minute spaghetti with cold Classico poured on top.”

“Always such a sweet talker,” Dean quipped, reaching out and pinching Sam’s cheek, leaving a big spot of spaghetti sauce on his cheek. Sam growled and wiped it off, glaring at his brother as the Omega walked off to his bedroom.

“Where are you going?” He called.

“I’ve got a date with Carmen to get ready for,” Dean called back, and the sound of the bathroom sink being turned on could be heard all throughout the small apartment. Sam got up and went to the bathroom, leaning against the door frame.

“Carmen? The Alpha from last week?’

“Yup,” Dean answered, grabbing a small towel, moistening it and wiping his face with it. 

“The one whose couch you fell asleep on?”

“Uh-huh,” Dean dropped the towel into the hamper and turned the water off, turning to look at his brother. “Now, are you going to move out of my way so I can get changed, or do I have to go on my date covered in finger paint and glitter?”

Sam bit his lips, trying to hide a smirk as he shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it’s a look that suits you,” he said. Dean rolled his eyes and stepped forward, pushing past his brother and trudging off towards his bedroom. As he went he heard Sam yell, “Use protection!” and he rolled his eyes.

By the time he arrived at The Roadhouse, the bar was already buzzing with activity. It was only eight thirty, so he was a little early for his date but he didn’t mind. The extra time would give him a chance to talk to Benny, anyway. He hadn’t seen him in what? Three weeks?

He slid into his usual seat, draping his jacket over the stool next to his to reserve the seat for Carmen when she came. Then he turned towards the bar, pulling the bowl of pretzels towards himself and munching on them while he waited for Benny to notice him and walk over.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Benny came walking over, a smile on his face. “Hey there, Dean. You sure are a sight for sore eyes,” he drawled as he leaned against the bar. He seemed to still for a moment, his nose twitching in the air as his eyes locked on Dean’s. He seemed to frown for a split second, but then it was gone, replaced by a pearly smile directed right at Dean. “What brings you here on a Friday night? Not your usual scene.”

“I’m here for a date,” Dean responded, a proud smile on his face. Benny placed a hand on his chest and scoffed, teasingly. 

“Oh, well, _excuse_ me. Dean Winchester, on a date?” He chuckled, looking around. “Where is the lucky Alpha?”

“She hasn’t arrived yet. Say, could you get me a scotch, neat?” 

Benny raised an eyebrow and leaned a little closer to Dean. “You crazy? I’m not serving you in your condition.”

“My condition?” Dean scrunched his nose up, confused. What, did Benny think he was diabetic or bulimic or something? Benny, however, seemed to think it obvious, as he rolled his eyes at Dean’s question.

“Uh, yeah. Everyone knows that Omegas can’t drink when they’re pregnant.”

Dean’s eyes went wide at Benny’s words, his mouth dropping open. Pregnant? Benny thought that he was _pregnant_? After a few moments he seemed to regain his sense of reality and he laughed, shaking his head and popping a pretzel into his mouth.

“I’m not pregnant, Benny,” he assured the Alpha. Benny raised his eyebrows.

“You wanna bet? You smell just as ripe as Andrea did when she was first expecting.” Benny said, a pained expression flashing across his face. Benny’s ex-mate Andrea had gotten pregnant a few years back, but when she and Benny had a fight because she suspected he was cheating on her, she had aborted the pups out of spite. The entire ordeal had broken the Alpha’s heart- especially since he hadn’t cheated on her at all- and their mating had fallen apart after that.

“You’re lying,” Dean said, shaking his head. Benny shrugged and turned to his drink station, beginning to mix a drink for himself.

“If you don’t believe me, ask nay Alpha in this joint and they’ll tell you.”

Defiantly, Dean stood up, marching up to the first Alpha he spotted and tapping the guy on his shoulder. He turned around, smiling cockily as he looked Dean up and down.

“Well hello there, cutie. Care to dance?” He asked, setting his drink down. Dean shook his head.

“No thanks. I was just wondering… Could you sniff me? And tell me if I’m… If I’m pregnant?” He said the last word quietly, as if it were a swear word. The arrogant expression on the Alpha’s face quickly disappeared at the mention of a pregnant Omega, and he nodded, leaning in to sniff along Dean’s scent gland. He pressed his nose into Dean’s exposed neck, inhaling deeply before he pulled away. He nodded.

“Congrats, man. You’re gonna be a father.” He said, patting Dean on the shoulder. And suddenly Dean felt the urge to throw up.

He shuffled back to his seat like a zombie, his entire body feeling numb. This… this was a catastrophe. An absolute tragedy. He was only twenty-three years old and he wasn’t even mated. He wasn’t ready to be a father! That was why he was on suppressants- suppressants that were supposed to be 100% affective and had apparently failed. He didn’t even know that that was possible! And yet here he was, sitting in the middle of the bar where he had probably met his pups’ father, knocked up without a mate.

He was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and his head snapped up to see a concerned Carmen looking down at him.

“You okay, Dean?” She asked softly, smiling and sitting down across from him as she set her purse down on the ground. “You looked like you were zoned out there.”

“I’m pregnant,” he blurted out, awkward as ever. Carmen’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Dean for a few seconds before standing up and slinging her bag back over her shoulder.

“I’m gonna go now,” she said, patting Dean’s shoulder as she walked away. Dean groaned and fell forward, banging his head against the bar. He heard someone set a glass down beside him and he looked up, Benny’s sympathetic smile somehow making everything worse.

“Come on, I made you a virgin Pina Colada, on the house. Now drink up.”

Dean lifted his head slightly, shaking his head as he looked up at Benny. “God… I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Benny,” he said, his voice shaky. The Alpha leaned against the counter again, looking at the Omega gently.

“It’ll be okay, Dean. And anyway, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out who the Alpha daddy is to let him know. One of the regulars, maybe?”

“No, no… I haven’t slept with anyone in like… three or four weeks,” Dean frowned for a moment, and then realization dawned on him. He groaned loudly and let his head fall into his hands.

“What? You remember who the father is?”

“Yes, I do,” he said, his voice muffled by his hands in front of his face. He moved them away after a moment, carding them through his light hair. “It was that Alpha from a few weeks ago, Castiel. He bought me this really sweet, pink margarita, remember?”

“Rings some sort of bell,” Benny stopped and thought for a few moments. “Dark hair, blue eyes? Had this big ugly jacket on his shoulders?”

“Yeah, that was him,” Dean answered. Benny hummed thoughtfully.

“I haven’t seen him around here since.”

“He wasn’t a local. He said he was here visiting his brother or something… God even knows where he’s really from,” Dean groaned and closed his eyes again, holding his head in his hands. “This is a nightmare,” he whispered. Benny reached out and touched his shoulder, rubbing at his muscular arm comfortingly.

“You’ll be okay, Cher. You’ve still got that brother of yours to look after you.”

Dean snorted, shaking his head as he looked up at Benny with large, scared green eyes. “Are you kidding me? Sam is going to flip when I tell him. He’s already been bugging me nonstop about finding a mate- he’s going to absolutely have a cow when I tell him I’m pregnant.”

“I’m sure he won’t stay angry for too long.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve never met my brother,” Dean rolled his eyes. Benny sighed and pushed off the bar, grabbing a towel and beginning to wipe down his work station. After a few minutes he turned back to Dean, whose head had dropped back into his hands again. His drink sat untouched on the bar, and Benny reached out to stroke his shoulder gently.

“Why don’t you go home and get some rest, brother? You’ve had a rough day.”

“I’ll say,” Dean mumbled as he lifted his head again, slowly but surely standing up and grabbing his jacket. He slipped it on his shoulders and Benny smiled kindly at him, reaching out to touch the zipper of the coat.

“Make sure you button up; it’s awful cold out there tonight. Nearly froze my whiskers off taking the trash out earlier.”

“Thanks, Benny. I’ll see you around,” he said, and with a small, forced smile he turned and walked out of the bar, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets as he walked out into the parking lot. He felt numb inside and out, even as the cold wind hit him in the face and blew through his hair. All he could think of was that he was pregnant- he was going to be a father- and all alone. Tears filled his eyes but he quickly batted them away, sniffling loudly and shaking his head. 

There was no use in crying. It wouldn’t change anything.

He made it to his car, reaching out and wrapping his fingers around the cold metal handle of the Impala. Suddenly he remembered that night- how it seemed so long ago, now- when Castiel had pressed him up against this very same door and kissed him. How their hands had roamed over each other’s bodies; how good it felt to be close to each other. He imagined Castiel towering over him, moving inside of him as his knot swelled up. How stupid had Dean been to let Castiel knot him? After all, knotting was something that was usually reserved for mates. And yet Dean had spread his legs for this stranger and let him fill him up, knock him up, and he had been happy about it.

He was just a slut. And Sam had been right all along- no Alpha would want him after this. Once he was big and heavy with someone else’s pups, once he had had them and was saddled with someone else’s kids running around, no Alpha would even give him the time of day. They would look down on him for what a whore he was, to have children and not be mated. His family would denounce him; his brother, his uncle and his cousins would cast judgement on him for being so promiscuous. The parents of his students would hear about his pregnancy and wonder what was wrong with him, and worry about letting their children near him. Other Omegas would sneer at him and whisper to each other how he had been stupid enough to have sex without suppressants.

But the thing was that he _had_ been on suppressants when he had sex with Castiel. He took them every morning with his breakfast, right out of his calendar pill dispenser, and he hadn’t missed a day in years. So how could they have possibly failed? He had never even heard of suppressants failing before, besides in instances of true mates. But true mates were such a rarity that it hardly ever happened, and Dean knew that it was impossible.

Finally the cold started to get to him, and Dean slid into his car, turning the heat up on high. His body was shaking with the cold but he couldn’t really bring himself to care, fully absorbed in his own depressing thoughts. He hardly even realized he was home once he reached his apartment building, and in a daze he nearly got into an accident while turning into the parking lot. Luckily he got off with the blast of an angry car horn, and he parked the car in his usual spot near the back of the lot.

When he entered the apartment, it was to find Sam dozing on the couch, an open Statistics textbook lying on his chest and a half drank coffee sitting on the coffee table. He watched his brother sleep for a few moments before he sighed, hanging up his jacket and trudging down the hall to his bedroom for some sleep.

As he lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, he couldn’t help but place a hand on his stomach and wonder about his pregnancy. How big was he going to grow? Would it hurt when he went into labor? The thought of labor scared him, and he frowned up at the ceiling as he thought about it. He knew that without an Alpha by his side, labor would be even more difficult than usual. That was the way things were with Omegas- even their biology was designed to shame them for having pre-mating sex.

Scowling, Dean rolled onto his side and buried his face in his pillow. Maybe, if he went to sleep, he would wake up and this would all be one big dream. One horrible, terrible dream that he could simply shake off and move on from.

The morning came with bright sunshine outside and the wind tapping a bare tree branch against his bedroom window. He glared at the branch for a few moments as he gained his bearings, recalling the incidents from the night before. He scowled and rolled out of bed, groaning softly when he felt his stomach roll with nausea- another reminder of the grim truth that he was pregnant.

He padded into the apartment’s bathroom, brushing his teeth and showering. Then he made his way to the kitchen, grunting his hello to his brother, who was already up and making breakfast. Sam smiled at Dean.

“Hey. How was your date last night?”

Dean swallowed and shook his head, leaning against the kitchen counter. He made sure to lean away from his brother, so that Sam wouldn’t scent him accidentally, bracing himself against the linoleum as he tugged at the hem of his shirt nervously. “Yeah… I don’t think we’re gonna be seeing each other again.”

“No?’ Sam looked up from the stove frowning slightly. “Why not? I thought that Charlie said she liked you?”

“Yeah, she did. But, uh… You know,” Dean shrugged, swallowing nervously and looking away. Sam’s eyebrows scrunched together and he put his spatula down, leaning forward.

“Are you okay?” He asked, narrowing his eyes. His next sentence came out as a growl. “She didn’t hurt you, did she?”

“No, no!” Dean said quickly, shaking his head violently. “It was nothing like that. She just didn’t want to..,” he bit his lips, lowering his gaze to his lap before he murmured, “…to be with a pregnant Omega.”

“What?” Sam looked confused. “I couldn’t hear you, man. Speak up.”

“I said she didn’t want to be with a pregnant Omega, okay?” Dean said quickly, looking up to see his brother’s shocked face. “I’m pregnant.”

Sam was stunned into silence for a long time. All he could do was stare at Dean, his face void of all expression, and Dean began to grow nervous. Finally, when he was about to speak, Sam opened his mouth first.

“Is it hers? Carmen’s?”

“No,” Dean said quickly. “No, but I know who’s it is. I just-”

“Good, then. You’ll call him up and see to it that the two of you get married. I can even call him up and talk to him Alpha-to-Alpha, if you want. This world isn’t kind to single parent Omegas, so you’ll want to-”

“Sammy, I don’t really think that’s an option.” Dean quickly cut off his brother, not wanting to hear any more of what he had to say about how the world treated ‘single parents Omegas’. Sam frowned at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

‘What do you mean, it’s not an option?”

“The Alpha… He doesn’t… he’s not from Kansas. I don’t even know _where_ he’s from. I don’t even know his name.” Dean said shamefully, looking down at his lap again. For the first time since he had found out he was pregnant he felt pain; pain that he would never get to have a mate, that his pups would never have an Alpha father. He whimpered and reached for his stomach unintentionally, pressing the palm of his hand against his skin.

He heard Sam sigh and the Alpha turned the burner on the stove off, reaching out and wrapping a hand around Dean’s shoulder. “Don’t cry, Dean. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“M’not crying,” Dean argued, though it was impossible to deny the tears that were running down his cheeks. The Omega sniffled and wiped his eyes, looking away from his brother shamefully. Sam sighed again and let his hand drop back to his side. It was quiet for a few moments as Sam turned back to the stove to finish making breakfast, the only sounds in the kitchen that of Dean’s muted crying and bacon and eggs sizzling in the frying pan.

“Do you want some breakfast?” Sam asked quietly after a few minutes, turning the stove off and serving the bacon onto a large plate. Dean was quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat, hiccupping as he answered.

“Su-ure.” He said. Sam picked the plate up and walked over to the kitchen table, setting it down along with two forks. He went to the fridge and grabbed some orange juice for the both of them, pouring two large glasses and setting them down on the table. He sat down in his usual seat, waiting as Dean sat down across from him. They ate in relative silence, the occasional hiccup or cough from Dean the only sound in the kitchen. Just before Dean was finished eating Sam cleared his throat, tapping his fingers against the table.

“So… Uh… Have you got a plan, then?”

Dean shook his head, unable to come up with a good response to Sam’s question. Finally he shrugged in response, looking up to meet his brother’s eyes.

“I’m not getting rid of them, if that’s what you mean.” He said after a moment or two of staring at his brother. He wasn’t sure why his mind had jumped to that place- maybe it was because he knew Benny, or maybe it had something to do with the look on Sam’s face- either way, he felt that it was necessary to make that point clear. Thankfully Sam didn’t seem to want to argue with Dean, because he nodded.

“Okay,” he said easily, reaching for his glass of orange juice and taking a sip. When he set it down he smacked his lips together before speaking. “I guess we should get you a doctor’s appointment, then.”

“I guess so.” Dean mumbled, looking down at his plate again and tapping his fingers against the wood of the table. Sam reached out, touching his wrist and forcing Dean to pay attention to him.

“Look, Dean… I’m not angry at you. I know you probably think I am but… The truth is I’m just worried for you. Like I said earlier, this world isn’t particularly kind to unmated pregnant Omegas. I know even I’m guilty of being a little stereotypical sometimes and I’m sorry for that… But I want you to know that I’ll be there for you when it comes to this pregnancy.”

Dean swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. He nodded meekly, quiet for a few moments before he looked up at Sam and managed to smirk.

“Would you quit it with the chick flick moments? I may be pregnant but I’m not a girl.”

“Could have fooled me.” Sam grinned teasingly. Dean scoffed.

“Shut up, bitch.” He smiled. Sam grinned right back at him.

“Make me, jerk.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Disease](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5zttEPcCuQ) by Matchbox Twenty

Castiel shuffled into work on Friday morning, a miserable scowl on his face and bags under his bloodshot eyes. He had taken a double dose of his suppressants in the morning, in order to rein in his rut, but the medicine did little to quell the effects of his false mating. By the time he reached the elevator in the lobby he was already getting a headache, and the combination of strange Alpha, Beta and Omega scents in the elevator made his head spin.

Samandriel opened the door to his office for him when he saw his boss coming down the hallway, greeting him cheerfully.

“So good to see you’re back and feeling well, Mr. Milton. How was your trip to Kansas?” He asked, frowning when Castiel stumbled right past him and went to his desk in the adjoining room. Samandriel followed after him, twiddling his fingers nervously. “Mr. Milton, sir?”

“Samandriel,” Castiel ground out once he had taken his seat, bracing himself with his elbows against the desk, his fingers rubbing circles into his temples. His eyes flickered up to meet Samandriel’s, Alpha red and tired. “Can you please get me the Harvelle file?.. I need to review the company’s information before our strategy meeting this afternoon.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?” Samandriel piped, biting at his lip nervously. Castiel looked up at him, squinting when the bright lights bothered his eyes. How much he wished to be tucked in bed at that moment, snuggled up in his sheets in the dark… But instead he was stuck here at his miserable job, his secretary standing in his office stinking it up like cinnamon candies. He turned his nose away at the smell of the Omega, trying to ignore the way that his scent made his stomach flip.

“Could you get me a coffee from downstairs? Two sugars, low fat milk.”

“Of course, sir.” Samandriel said, scurrying out of the room. Castiel sighed as he watched him go, carefully turning in his chair to look at his computer screen. He squinted, the brightness of the desktop making him wish he were wearing sunglasses. He clicked on the settings bar and lowered the brightness, though it did little good to stop the pounding in his head.

Huffing in annoyance, he reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of Advil. He sighed and sat back, tipping the bottle into his hand and immediately downing two of the capsules. Then he stowed the medicine away again, closing his eyes and willing his headache to go away. After a few moments he turned back to his computer, pulling up his email and starting to type out a message to one of their largest clients.

When Samandriel returned to the office he knocked on the door gently, and Cas’s eyes popped open, tired and angry at the disturbance. He thanked Samandriel curtly for the file and the coffee, and though his words were genuine, his scent was one of distinct agitation. Samandriel stood in front of the desk for a moment, almost unsure of himself, before he spoke.

“Are you… Sir, did I do something wrong?” he asked quietly. Castiel looked up at him, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh. He knew that it was wrong of him to be annoyed with Samandriel; the fact that he thought he had done something to upset Castiel was innate for his biology, as Omegas were designed to serve Alphas. Although Castiel personally rejected that sentiment, it wasn’t easy to ignore the fact that most Omegas were accustomed to being subservient to Alphas and Betas.

“No, Sam… I just… I’m not feeling very well right now. I’m suffering from a false mating, and the symptoms are… Well, they are intense,” he sighed and rubbed at his eyes with his fingers, reaching for his coffee and taking a small sip. He forced himself to smile up at Samandriel. “Thank you for the coffee. It’s very good.”

Samandriel frowned and bit his lips. “Are you sure you should be here if you’re so sick? I’ve heard that false matings can get pretty bad… Maybe you should go home or something,” he said. Castiel let out a heavy sigh, looking up at his secretary irritably. He had already gotten an earful from his doctor the day before about not coming in to work, and the last thing he wanted to hear was the same speech from Samandriel.

“I have a lot of work to do, Sam. Please close the door on your way out,” he said curtly, looking down at the open Harvelle file in front of him and reaching for a highlighter. He began to annotate the file, not even looking up when he heard the office door close.

Lunch time came and went without Castiel taking a pause to eat, even when Samandriel came in to tell him that he was going out for lunch and offered to pick something up for him. The truth was that he was not very hungry at all, and even if he was hungry, Cas didn’t think he would be able to hold down anything solid- not with the way that everything around him was making him nauseous, anyway. He had his assistant dim the lights in his office before he left, because the bright lights were making his head throb like nobody’s business. It did little to help, though Castiel did note that he could concentrate better on his work in the darkness, and he decided to be grateful for what he could get.

He hadn’t been aware that Samandriel had come back from lunch yet when the door opened and his assistant stepped into the room, rapping his knuckles against the wooden doorframe. He brought with him the scent of Omega spice and Chinese takeout, and Castiel had to hold his breath for fear of throwing up as he looked up at his assistant expectantly.

“Yes?” He asked, setting the pen that was in his hand down and turning his full attention to the man. Samandriel cleared his throat.

“Sir, Zachariah Fuller is here to see you,” he said. Castiel bristled at the sound of the man’s name, leaning back in his chair and tapping the end of his pen against his desk. Zachariah, aside from being on the Board of Directors at Angel Entertainment, was a family friend of his mom’s. He was a bitter man with old fashioned ideals, an offensive sense of humor and an attitude that he was completely untouchable.

“Send him in, please,” Castiel answered, still tapping his pen against the desk as Samandriel opened the door. Zachariah stepped in; a stout old man with a balding head and a crooked nose. His beady, judgmental eyes slid over Samandriel’s face.

“It’s about time. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to keep an Alpha waiting?” He snorted and turned away from Samandriel, making his way over to Cas’s desk and plopping down in one of the chairs in front of it. Samandriel gave Castiel a troubled look and he cast an apologetic grimace his assistant’s way, turning to look at Zachariah with a frown.

“What can I help you with, Mr. Fuller?”

“Call me Zach,” The man drawled, leaning forward and plucking a piece of candy from the jar on Castiel’s desk, looking up at the ceiling as he unwrapped it. “Why the hell is it so dark in here, by the way?” He turned towards the door, where Samandriel was still standing awkwardly. “Hey, Omega, would you turn the lights on?” He snapped.

Castiel thought twice before he growled, clearing his throat. “He does have a name, Mr. Fuller.”

Zachariah shrugged at Castiel, dismissing his words immediately and turning to look expectantly at Samandriel, who still hadn’t turned the lights on. He snapped his fingers as he popped a candy into his mouth.

“Chop, chop!” He ordered. Samandriel bit his lips and looked over at Castiel, who gave him a tiny nod to let him know that it was okay. Samandriel reached for the light and spun the dial on the wall, turning the brightness up all the way. Castiel’s head seemed to spin as the light flooded his vision, blinding him for a few moments as he became accustomed once again to the brightness. His headache from earlier immediately began to return at full force, and he started to think how much it would cost to have the lights in the building replaced with dimmer bulbs.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Zachariah coughing. He blinked a couple of times and turned his attention to the other Alpha, trying his best to focus on the man as he spoke.

“I came down here to talk with you about the Harvelle meeting we are about to go in to. I’m aware that you’ve been on vacation for the past three weeks, so I’ll make this short. The Harvelle Company is a corporate disaster. They have good clients and good production, but whoever has been running the company is a damn fool.”

“Now I wouldn’t say that Ellen is a fool…” Castiel started, deciding to ignore Zachariah’s comment about him being ‘on vacation’ for the past three weeks. He knew that Zachariah was a stubborn man, and arguing with him over such petty issues would aggravate his already massive headache.

Zachariah scoffed. “Oh, please Castiel. The woman wouldn’t know the difference between a W-4 and an 1120-W if an accountant slapped her in the face. The company is in serious financial troubles, Cas. I’m surprised the IRS hasn’t come after them already,” he smirked a bit and leaned back in his chair, wiggling his finger at Castiel. “They’re in serious financial disorder, and that’s very good for us.”

Castiel sighed and combed his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment and trying to process everything that Zachariah was saying while simultaneously fighting the urge to pass out on the spot. The lights were seriously bothering him at that point, making the entire room spin and seem smaller and stuffier than it really was. Castiel was quickly aware that he was sweating like a pig, and he huffed out an annoyed sigh as he wiped his face off with his sleeve.

“Is that all you’ve come to tell me, Mr. Fuller? That Ellen Harvelle is bad at managing her finances?”

“Well, no. I came to talk to you about our negotiation strategy. You see, without us the Harvelle Company is going under. They’ll declare bankruptcy soon and go down like the Titanic in a manner of weeks… They’re desperate. Which is why I say we lowball them on our offer. Renegotiate the contract in our favor, so that we have full copyrighting and marketing rights over their enterprise. At this point Ellen is so desperate I bet she would take any deal.”

Castiel scowled, narrowing his eyes at Zachariah. “I am not going to _screw_ Ellen Harvelle over, Mr. Fuller. The contract that our lawyers have put together for this merger is an extremely fair one; one that appraises the full value of the Harvelle Company and takes into account the best interests of both companies. I’m not going to take advantage of that woman, and I don’t want to hear about this ‘negotiation strategy’ again.”

Zachariah’s jaw clenched and he stared at Castiel for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Castiel wondered briefly if he was going to argue with him, and if so, would he even be able to carry on arguing with the old man? At this rate he already felt as if he was going to fall over at any minute, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep up the façade that everything was going fine.

Thankfully Zachariah seemed to relent, looking away from Castiel as he pushed his chair back and stood up. He tapped his knuckles against the wooden desk, clearing his throat.

“Okay, then. We better be getting down to the Conference Room then.” He said. Castiel nodded and slowly began to collect his files, watching as Zachariah turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. A few moments after the door had closed it opened again and Samandriel scurried in, rushing over to Cas’s desk as the Alpha started to stand up.

“What did he say to you? I left after I turned the lights on- which I’m sorry about, by the way. I know you aren’t feeling well…”

Castiel waved Samandriel off, swaying only slightly as he stood up and made his way towards the door to his office.

“It’s not of import, Samandriel. And I’ll be fine,” he offered Samandriel a weak smile, nodding towards his secretary’s cluttered desk. “Grab your notebook and a pen. I’ll need you to keep extensive notes on this meeting.”

“Of course, sir.” Samandriel quickly said, grabbing a spiral notebook from his desk and following after Castiel down the hallway. They entered into the elevator together, the close quarters immediately causing Castiel’s hair to stand on edge. Samandriel’s scent seemed stronger in the elevator, more pungent and definitely more dizzying, and Castiel found himself covering his face with his open hand. Samandriel blushed, muttering out an apology and ducking his head. Castiel frowned.

“It’s okay, Sam. It’s- it’s not your fault,” Cas managed to say, swaying slightly and wrapping his hands around the silver banister against the wall. It was silent for the rest of the ride down to the Conference Room, and by the time that they reached their floor Castiel was happy to see Samandriel scurry away. He stumbled out after the Omega, clutching his files to his chest and desperately gulping in the fresh air that the open space supplied to him.

The CEO of the Harvelle Company was already sitting at the conference table, and she stood up as Castiel entered. Castiel smiled as best as he could, sticking his hand out courteously to the Beta in front of him. His skin tingled uncomfortably where she touched it, and he pulled his hand away as quickly as could be deemed polite, gesturing towards her chair.

“Why don’t you take a seat so we can get this meeting started?” He asked kindly. She nodded, smiling at him.

“That would be excellent,” she said, sitting down and opening up some files. Castiel walked towards the other end of the table, plopping down in his seat and looking around the large room. Despite the fact that it was a large room, there were a lot of people congregated in the space, and for this reason it seemed extremely stuffy to him. He felt himself growing sweaty again, and he wiped his brow as he began to open up his files.

The room began to fill with chatter as the last of the employees filed into the conference room, their smells mingling and making Castiel dizzy. He felt his head throb and he blinked repeatedly, the room spinning for a moment before it came into focus again. He cleared his throat loudly, standing up from his seat and clutching at the edge of the table for support as he addressed the room.

“If everyone could please be seated… My CTO, Mr. Balthazar Harris will be calling this meeting to order,” He said, turning to look at the blond Beta who was seated beside him. He nodded and the man stood up, patting Castiel’s shoulder and ignoring the ay that the Alpha tensed at the contact as he began to speak.

“Thank you to everyone who has come here today to discuss the merger of our two companies. We here at Angel Entertainment have had great joy in working with the Harvelle Company, and we see great potential in a future working closely with all of you. This merger, I think, will prove to be extremely beneficial for both of our companies. And, on that note, I would like to call this meeting to order,” he smiled and sat down next to Cas, nudging the Alpha. Castiel barely restrained his growl at the contact, glaring in the direction of his coworker. He looked up when he heard Zachariah’s voice, and he leaned back to listen to the man speak.

“In the files that have been placed in front of everyone, you will find our proposed contract for these negotiations. If everybody could just take a moment to read things over, then there will be an open floor for caucus discussions,” he said curtly, opening up his own file and pulling out a copy of the contract.

Castiel opened up his file and began to read the contract, though he couldn’t bring himself to concentrate on the words in front of him. They seemed to meld together on the paper, making Castiel feel as if he were going to fall over. After struggling through the opening paragraph nearly four times he finally closed the contract, looking up to see everyone else reading intently.

A few seconds later the first question was asked by a middle-aged Beta woman with dark hair, commenting on the first clause of the contract, pertaining to employee benefits. Her comment quickly began a discussion, one that happened to be rather loud. A conversation about health benefits quickly spiraled into one about financing, and then to outsourcing, and so on until basically everyone in the room was yelling.

At some point the noise must have overwhelmed him, or maybe it was just the fact that his sickness was consuming him, because his head was throbbing painfully. The room seemed to spin as the noises in the room melted together, as did the smells. Alpha and Beta scents seemed to mix together and overpower him- not to mention the Omega scents that were absolutely overwhelming. He felt his stomach turn and he wound up doubling over in pain, seeing double. His head was throbbing like nobody’s business, and it was only by sheer luck that he managed to grab a trash can in time to vomit into it.

Samandriel quickly stood up from his seat beside the Alpha, a worried expression on his face. “Sir..?” He asked, just in time for Castiel to groan and fall to the floor, holding himself around the middle and writhing. The noise volume in the room seemed to double and he looked up to see Samandriel kneeling over him, the Omega’s putrid scent invading his nostrils. He groaned and tried to get up- to get away- but he was simply too punch-drunk to coordinate himself. He wound up falling flat on his stomach, slamming his face into the carpet and giving himself a bloody nose.

“Castiel…” Samandriel gasped and crouched by his side, reaching out and touching his shoulder. Castiel jerked, pain searing through his body at the touch of the Omega’s hand against his body. Cas whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut, clutching himself around the middle. He didn’t notice his assistant getting up and standing to the side, but he must have, because when he opened his eyes again Samandriel was standing to the side on his phone, and Balthazar and Zachariah were crowded around him, their Alpha scents invading his nostrils.

Balthazar said something that Cas didn’t hear, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He growled, curling his upper lip up to bare his teeth and recoiling from the touch. Zachariah said something to Balthazar, who frowned and stepped away from him. Then the two of them were lifting him up and helping him stand. He whimpered and tried to pull away from them, the world spinning around him.

“Get offa me… I need...,” He groaned, stumbling into the table and leaning against it. He blinked blearily, the light in the room seeming to almost blind him. He shook his head back and forth, scrubbing his hands over his sweaty face. He swayed a bit and somebody grabbed onto him, fingers burning his skin as strong hands held him up.

“What’s wrong with him?” Somebody, a woman, asked. Their voice seemed to split into Castiel’s head and make his ears ache, and he growled as he spoke.

“I need Dean…”

“He smells like he’s rutting,” a voice near his ear said. “Who’s Dean? His mate?”

Castiel perked up at the mention of Dean, and he felt his body ache with a need to be with his mate, to be close to him, to hold him in his arms and never let him go. It wasn’t a sexual need, though. No, this was emotional. Castiel let out a small whimper just as he heard Samandriel speak.

“He’s suffering from a false mating. I guess that Dean was the Omega’s name... I’ve called an ambulance. They should be here soon.”

“Are you serious?” Another person, a man in the room, asked, sounding astonished. “Why the hell is he at work, then? He should be at home.”

Castiel growled and shook his head, trying to pull away from Balthazar, who was holding him up. He moved away from him and towards his chair. His muscles ached when he sat, and he felt his stomach turn over as he braced himself against the edge of the table. “I-I’m fine. I can work,” he said as he reached for his folder. Balthazar looked over at Samandriel with raised eyebrows, and the Omega sighed.

“Come on, Mr. Milton. The ambulance will be here soon,” he said softly. Castiel looked up at him, eyes sunk into his head and blood shot.

“Samandriel, I-” he stopped when he caught a whiff of the Omega’s scent and his stomach turned again, and this time he wasn’t fast enough, throwing up all over the carpet under the table. He moaned loudly and doubled over, almost falling into his own puke. Thankfully Balthazar caught him and lifted him up, helping him to his feet again.

“Come on, Cassie. Let’s get you some help,” he grumbled. All Cas could do was whimper shamefully in response and nod.

\---

When Castiel woke up he was in a hospital bed, an itchy IV attached to his wrist and a gown draped over his body. His eyes opened slowly to take in the dark hospital room, his head pounding miserably in his skull. He quickly realized that his mouth tasted like vomit, and he scowled as he smacked his lips and tried to rid his mouth of the horrible taste. He blinked up at the stark white ceiling of the hospital room and tried to recall how he had gotten where he was.

He could remember going to work in the morning and making it all day until the merger meeting- albeit miserably- before everything went wrong. He knew that he must have gotten sick during the meeting, and somewhere in the depths of his mind he could remember lying on the ground and being manhandled by his coworkers as they tried to help him. He could also remember vomiting all over the floor and he scowled, feeling a twinge of pain in his nose.

He frowned, reaching up to touch his nose. He felt a bandage wrapped around his nose and he gasped, whimpering quietly. He remembered falling flat on his face then, and suddenly he was aware of how much his nose hurt at that moment.

At that moment an Omega nurse bustled into the room, smiling softly when she saw that Castiel was awake. “Oh, hey there sleeping beauty. How’re you feeling?” She asked, coming over to the side of the bed. Castiel frowned and looked up at the woman tiredly.

“Like shit,” he answered simply. She pursed her lips and stroked a hand through his hair, adjusting his blankets on his body and then turning to focus on his IV bag.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. You gave your coworkers quite a scare, there. Of course, we were able to patch you up pretty easy with a dose of antibiotic. We have a blood test in the lab right now trying to figure out what’s going on with you.”

“’S a false mating,” Castiel mumbled, closing his eyes and breathing carefully, acutely aware that the nurse’s Omega scent seemed to be muted. He figured that the woman was required to wear scent-blockers as part of her uniform, and he was immensely grateful for this fact and the relief that it made him feel.

“That’s what your responding ER doctor thought, but we weren’t sure. The blood test should tell us everything,” she said softly. Castiel hummed and nodded, his eyes still closed. The nurse smiled and adjusted the blankets once again, patting him on the shoulder.

“Get some rest, big boy. You earned it.”

\---

When Castiel woke up again he felt much better, although he had a small headache. There was light pouring in through the room’s windows, indicating that it was the morning. He sighed and shifted away from the light, reaching over to his nightstand and grabbing his phone. He picked it up and pressed the home button, opening up his messages app. He had four texts from his sister and one from Samandriel, telling him to call the office when he woke up and to take as much time off as he needed. He frowned and slid to unlock, ready to dial his office phone number when he suddenly heard his sister’s voice.

“You put that cell phone down right this instant, Castiel Milton!” She ordered, stomping into the room and snatching away his cell phone. Her voice was loud and made his head throb tiredly and he growled, squinting at his sister.

“Where did you..?”

“The hospital called, since I’m your emergency contact. The doctor said you nearly passed out at work yesterday,” she crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at her little brother.

“Han, I can-”

“What the hell were you thinking, Cas?” She cut him off, flailing her arms and letting them come to slap at her sides. “Dr. Cohen specifically told you _not_ to go to work; that you needed rest. Do you know how dangerous what you did was?” She didn’t wait for Castiel to answer her before she supplied the answer for him. “You could have lost control and gone feral. What if that had happened? What if you had killed somebody?”

“I’m not going to kill anybody..,” Cas managed to mumble, and Hannah scoffed.

“I’m not saying you would, Cas. But right now… you’re not yourself. This false mating is messing with your head and could make you do something you might regret…”

Castiel growled loudly and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of his bed and glaring up at his sister. His gown scrunched up around his legs and he kicked at the cloth, placing his feet on the ground. “I can take care of myself, Hannah,” he snarled. He went to stand up but his legs failed him, and he stumbled a bit before his sister caught him and forced him to sit back down on the bed.

“See? You can’t even walk,” she let out a heavy sigh and pinched at the bridge of her nose. “Why did you even go to work in the first place? You knew that the doctor wanted you on bed rest.”

“The head of the Board sent me an email threatening to remove me from my position. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight… I know he can’t punish me for taking medical leave. I just..,” Castiel sighed and put his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his shoulders. “I just want to get over this damn false mating. Seriously, I don’t even know this Omega I’m pining over. I don’t even _care_ about him. He was a one night stand and nothing more. I don’t… I don’t understand why my body is reacting like this..,” he trailed off, staring down at his lap and clenching his jaw.

The room was quiet for some time. Castiel occupied himself with picking at the thin hospital sheets, a scowl on his face. He was surprised when Hannah decided to take a seat next to him on the bed, and he looked up at her, tired red eyes meeting bright blue ones.

“You have to listen to what the doctor says, Cas. If you want to get better soon…”

“I know, I know.” He sighed and dropped his head in shame, tears filling his eyes. “I just feel... I feel like I’m useless right now. I mean, I’m fine right now… sort of… but I’m assuming that that’s because I’m loaded up on migraine medicine and suppressants and whatever the hell is in this,” he said, lifting his arm and showing his sister to his IV.

Hannah frowned. “I guess you’re right.”

“Exactly. But really, I can hardly even stand to be around other people. Light bothers me, I have no appetite… I can’t even walk on my own. It’s horrible,” he huffed out an exasperated sigh and looked away from his sister. “This is all Gabriel’s fault.”

“I’m sorry,” Hannah whispered, placing her hand on Cas’s leg and rubbing back and forth. He sighed and pulled away from her, slowly trying to stand up as he held on to the IV rack. Hannah helped him up and walked with him to the bathroom, closing the door behind him so that he could use the restroom in privacy.

When he came back out he stumbled back to the bed, crawling in and wrapping his arms around the pillow. Hannah stayed with him, rubbing his back and carding her fingers through his hair.

“Mom said she’ll be coming around sometime today or tomorrow. She’s worried about you.”

“Of course she is,” he groaned softly and pressed his face into the pillow. His next words came out muffled as he spoke into the pillow. “How am I supposed to explain to _her_ that I had a one night stand?”

Hannah snorted. “Cas, you’re nearly thirty years old. I doubt that mom will really care about your sex life.”

“You wanna bet?” He grumbled, turning and batting her hand away when she tried to stroke her fingers through his hair again. “It’s irritating,” he explained sheepishly. Hannah sighed and placed her hands on her lap, giving her brother a sympathetic look. A few moments later Cas’s nurse bustled in, smiling when she saw that Castiel was awake and Hannah was by his side.

“Feeling better this morning?” She asked as she came over to him, checking his vitals and helping him sit up so that he could take some medicine. He swallowed the pills she gave him, handing the cup back to her and offering her a weak smile.

“I guess. My body aches.”

“Yeah… It feels like you’re running a bit of a fever,” she said, placing a hand on Castiel’s forehead for a moment. Castiel closed his eyes and sunk back against the bed, sighing. The nurse clicked her teeth. The doctor, a tall man with short, dark hair walked in soon after her, a chart in his hands.

“Castiel Milton,” he smiled politely at the Alpha on the bed, setting the chart down and cracking his knuckles. “How are you feeling today?”

Castiel sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know. Crappy, I guess. My arms and legs hurt and so does my nose, but other than that…”

“And what about your rut? When we first brought you in we detected extremely high testosterone levels in your blood.”

“I think I’m fine in that department,” Castiel said, blushing and looking over at his sister shyly. She seemed preoccupied though, tapping away on her phone as the doctor spoke to Castiel. The man flipped to the second page in his chart, scribbling something down and looking up at the Alpha.

“So, your blood test results have already come back from the lab. Now, how many people have you slept with in the last thirty days or so?” The doctor asked. Castiel frowned.

“Just one Omega I met at a bar.”

“Okay,” the doctor frowned slightly and scribbled another note down on his chart, looking up at Castiel and sighing. “Well, I’m sorry to say that your blood test results have come back undefined. We’ll be keeping you for another night and we can run some more tests, but I can’t tell how conclusive the results will be.”

“Undefined?” Castiel sat forward, scowling as his head throbbed. He rubbed at his eyes with his palm, letting out an exasperated sigh. “What the hell does that mean?”

The doctor set his clipboard down, frowning slightly. “It could mean a number of things, to be honest. Insofar you have exhibited all of the symptoms of a false mating, but you have to understand how absolutely rare those are. The chance of this actually being a false mating is about one in one million… I would sooner say that you had some form of meningitis or possibly environmental dysphoria than I would label this as a false mating.”

Castiel frowned, glancing at Hannah for a moment before he spoke. “So what you’re saying is that I’m screwed?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” the doctor said with a slight smile, pulling out his prescription pad and scribbling out an order for him. “I’m going to prescribe you something for your headaches, as well as something for the light and smell sensitivities. We’ll allow you some time to rest and perhaps have your sister fill this prescription,” as he spoke he handed the paper to Hannah, who nodded her thanks to him, “and we’ll be back later to do some more tests.”

Castiel sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair, his facial expression stuck in a perpetual frown. “If this is a false mating...,” he started, swallowing and biting his lips, “how long will it last?”

“It differs for everybody,” the doctor said simply. “It may be a few weeks, or it could be a few months. It all depends on how strong the initial bond was between you and the Omega, and how well you take care of yourself now. Typically the illness is also accompanied by feelings of loneliness and depression, and possibly even suicide. If it is a false mating- though I doubt it is, since cases of such phenomenon are practically non-existent- we would probably wind up recommending that you stay with a loved one for the duration of your sickness.”

Castiel groaned and closed his eyes, pressing a hand to his forehead and growling softly. He couldn’t suffer through this for months! It was already bad enough after just a couple of days living with this misery, but months? He would never survive that!

“I’ll leave you to get some rest,” the doctor said, patting Castiel on the ankle and picking up his chart from the table by his bed. “Come on, Nurse Masters. We have to go to the cardiac ward. Someone should be up with your breakfast shortly.”

Castiel started to say that he wasn’t hungry but Hannah quickly answered for him, smiling at the doctor. “That’d be great,” she said. The doctor nodded and left, quickly followed out by the Omega nurse.

Castiel groaned once they left, turning and pressing his face into the pillow as he moaned. “Please, just kill me now!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [I'm A Believer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts) by The Monkees

“So have you thought about tracking this guy down at all?” Sam asked as he leaned back in the front seat of the Impala, turning to look expectantly at his older brother. Dean was currently driving him to his Monday morning classes, since it was Columbus Day and he didn’t have work and Sam was sick of taking the bus to campus. Dean shrugged in response.

“I don’t know. Even if I could find the guy, why would he want to be with me? I don’t want to tie him down with this.”

“But....”

“Look Sam, just drop it. I mean… I know that having these pups is gonna be a big responsibility to take on, but I think I can do it on my own. And I’m not gonna track down this Castiel guy just so I can saddle him with this huge burden. If I’m gonna be with an Alpha… Well, I want to be with him or her because they want me. Not because they feel obliged to be with me.”

Sam was quiet, giving Dean a contemplative look before he finally nodded and turned to look out the window. It had started to drizzle, and little spots of water were appearing on the windows and the windshield.

“I guess I get that,” Sam said after a few moments, his eyebrows scrunched together. “I wouldn’t want my mate to take my mark only because they feel like they have to.”

“Exactly,” Dean said, putting the blinker on and turning left onto the college drive.

It had been a full week since he found out he was pregnant, and though he knew he was imagining it, Dean swore that his stomach was already poking out a bit. Sam had been quick to assure him that it was much too early in his pregnancy for him to be showing, though, and that that pudge had always been there. Dean had told him to ‘go screw’, and had proceeded to spend a good portion of his Sunday afternoon looking at his own stomach in the mirror.

Once Sam had been dropped off and safely walked into his lecture hall Dean drove off, tapping his fingers against the wheel and humming to the tune of  _Ramble On_. Sam’s words still fresh in his mind, he found his thoughts drifting as he drove on to the highway. He thought of Castiel and the night he had spent with the Alpha, trying to recall any details of the night he may have forgotten.

Castiel had been older than him, but not by much. While Dean was twenty-three Cas was probably in his early thirties. He had smelled good, like cinnamon and watermelon, and maybe even smoke. He’d smelled so good that Dean, in his pheromone-induced stupor, had wanted to mate with him. He hadn’t told Dean his last name- he hadn’t even told him where he was from. So even if Dean had wanted to track the Alpha down he wouldn’t be able to. After all, he’d seemed to have good potential for a mate. He was big, strong, kind, he had seemed smart enough… And the sex had been, well, the sex had been mind-blowing.

Dean knew that raising these pups on his own would be hard. Society wasn’t very accepting of single-parent Omegas, and there was no doubt that he would have to deal with retribution from his students’ parents and his bosses. He knew that Sam would have his back, but he also knew that his brother had his own life. And when Sam finally decided to settle down and start a family of his own… Well, then what? He would be all alone, with no one, no mate to support him.

The more Dean thought about it, the more upset he got. If for some reason Sam wasn’t there to help him, then who would? He was anything but an ideal Omega- he was insolent, he was snarky, he talked back, and now-  _now_  he was pregnant. No Alpha in their right mind would ever want him. For some reason the thought brought tears to his eyes, and Dean growled to himself as he batted them away, mumbling angrily about his hormones.

Dean let out a heavy sigh and shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. Thinking about Castiel and mating was the last thing that Dean wanted to do. He knew that he would only wind up feeling worse about himself- maybe even considering an abortion- if he thought too hard about it, and right now what he really needed to focus on was getting ready for these pups. He had a doctor’s appointment the next day, after all.

He let one of his hands drift away from the wheel, pressing his palm flat against his stomach. He rubbed gently back and forth, pursing his lips and glancing down at his flat stomach for a moment. He refocused on the road quickly, though he still kept his hand pressed up against his belly, rubbing slowly.

“It’s all gonna be okay. Daddy’s gonna take good care of you all,” he whispered soothingly, more to himself than anything else. A few moments later his stomach rumbled and he laughed, patting his belly and smiling. “Alright, message received. Next stop, McDonalds,” he smiled and reached for the radio, turning up the volume and switching lanes, preparing to take the next exit back towards Lawrence.

\----

As it turned out, Dean had difficulty adapting to pregnancy.

After binge eating three Big Macs and a twenty-piece order of chicken nuggets on Monday, he went home and collapsed onto the couch, where he had slept for more than five hours. He’d missed Sam’s phone call when the guy got out of class, leaving Sam to take the bus back to their apartment in the rain. At first Sam had been angry, but he couldn’t stay mad when he saw an obviously exhausted Dean sleeping on the couch.

Still Dean had been apologetic, and he’d made it up to his brother when he woke up by making them homemade macaroni and cheese with bacon for dinner with a salad on the side, just for Sam. After dinner Dean went back to bed, grumbling about how he was exhausted after doing basically nothing all day. Sam had chuckled and reassured him that it was all a normal part of Omega pregnancy, to which Dean had rolled his eyes and walked away.

Once Dean had gone to bed, Sam invited Ruby over, and she arrived shortly after he called. They watched TV together for almost half an hour, chatting idly about their days. Sam kept his hand on her thigh, stroking the Beta’s leg back and forth.

“We should do something fun,” Ruby suggested, tilting her head back and exposing her neck to Sam. The Alpha hummed at the submissive gesture, nipping at Ruby’s neck. “Go someplace new.”

“I think we have plenty fun to explore right here on this couch,” Sam suggested, smirking against Ruby’s neck. She giggled and turned to kiss him, straddling Sam’s lap and fiddling with the buttons of his shirt.

“Yeah? But what if we could make it more exciting?”

Sam’s eyes lit up. “More exciting?” He asked, biting his lips. Ruby nodded, a smirk playing at her lips as she leaned down to swirl her tongue around Sam’s ear lobe. The Alpha wrapped his arms around Ruby’s body, fingers pressing up against her curvy hips. “What can be more exciting than this?” He asked with a smirk, his eyes flickering up and down her body. Ruby grinned wolfishly.

“I’ve got some stuff in my purse,” she whispered, stroking her long nails down over Sam’s chest. His breath hitched and his eyes lit up, a smile pulling at his lips.

“Go get it, then.”

\---

Ruby was gone by the morning, and Sam had time to down two cups of coffee, some Advil and take a shower before Dean woke up, so that he would look at least somewhat respectable. It was around seven in the morning that he heard Dean shuffling around his room, and another five minutes passed before he heard Dean retching his guts out in the bathroom.

Sam frowned and made his way down the hall, kneeling by his brother’s side and rubbing his back. The Omega whined and leaned his head against Sam’s chest, breathing heavily as the Alpha reached out to flush the toilet.

“Being pregnant sucks,” Dean complained. Sam sighed.

“I know it’s hard, Dean. The symptoms are probably worse than usual too, since you don’t have a mate,” he noted as he helped his brother to his feet, turning the sink on for him and moistening a towel.

Dean growled. “So even my body is punishing me for being a whore, now,” he grumbled. Sam frowned but said nothing, instead holding the towel out to Dean and stepping away.

“I’ll be in the kitchen making breakfast. You should shower,” he said, then turned and walked away. He made himself busy in the kitchen, feeling sorry for his brother. Still, he was grateful that Dean was too preoccupied with being sick to notice anything off about him. 

By the time that Dean got out of the shower breakfast was ready, and Sam shuffled over to him with a plate piled high with toast, a cup of coffee for himself and a piping hot cup of tea for Dean.

“I swear this will help with the nausea,” Sam said as he set the cup of herbal green tea down in front of his brother, who was wearing one of the biggest pouts of his life on his face. He glared at the cup of tea like it had personally offended him, crinkling his nose up at the smell of it.

“Dude, I can’t drink that! It looks like shit water.”

Sam fixed Dean with one of his classic bitch-faces, sitting down across from him at the kitchen table and reaching for an apple. He took a large bite of the fruit, shrugging at his older brother. Dean finally sighed after a few moments, reaching out and taking hold of the hot cup. He brought it tentatively to his lips and took a small sip, scowling at the taste and coughing as he set the cup down.

“That’s horrible,” he announced, pointing an accusatory finger at the cup of tea. Sam let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well then I don’t know what to tell you, Dean. You were complaining about being nauseous so I made you tea, and you don’t like it. It’s your choice whether you drink it or not.”

Dean huffed and pushed his chair away from the table, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. “I’m just gonna have some crackers then…,” he mumbled under his breath as he padded out of the dining room.

It was Tuesday morning before work now, and Dean had already thrown up twice. That was why Sam had made him that disgusting tea. And while Dean was honestly appreciative of his brother’s efforts to help him, he wasn’t going to drink that liquid crap. He dug out a sleeve of Saltine crackers from one of the cabinets, ripping it open and crunching on the wafers as he went to get his coat on.

“I’m gonna get going,” Dean said as he pulled his jacket on, zipping himself up and grabbing the keys to the Impala. “You’re in charge of getting us dinner tonight, ‘cause I have a doctor’s appointment right after work and I’m not sure how long it’s gonna take.”

“Alright. You want pizza or Chinese?” Sam asked, leaning back in his chair and looking over at his brother. Dean shrugged.

“Um… Pizza sounds good. Make sure you get olives, too.”

Sam scrunched up his nose. “Olives? You hate olives!” he yelled. Dean shrugged, opening up the apartment door and walking out. Just before the door closed he could hear Sam yelling after him, “You forgot your tea!”

\---

Dean had decided that for the time being, he was going to keep his pregnancy a secret at work. His scent change wasn’t too noticeable, and he wasn’t showing yet, so Dean figured that his best bet was to act like nothing had changed until he couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. After all, the longer he could conceal his pregnancy the better. The last thing he needed was rumors being spread about him and his out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

Still, despite his secrecy, it only took a matter of minutes for Charlie to figure everything out. When Dean walked in to the front office to check his mailbox, still munching on saltine crackers, Charlie had narrowed her eyes at him and beckoned him closer. The minute he was within her reach she grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him down close to her desk and sniffing at his neck. Dean growled and scrambled away from her, his lips circling up into a snarl as Charlie gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth to contain her audible squeal.

“Oh my God, you –!” her exclamation was cut off as Dean practically threw himself on top of her to smom her announcement, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her off to the Omega bathrooms. Once inside he locked the doors, pointing a finger at Charlie’s chest.

“You cannot tell  _anyone_ ,” he hissed, fixing Charlie with a hard glare. Charlie frowned.

“But why not? Dean, you’re  _pregnant_! This is amazing!” She squealed, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. “I can’t believe I’m going to be an Aunt!”

Dean growled again and Charlie quickly released him, apologizing for her outburst. “But why don’t you want anyone to know? I mean- you’re not getting an abortion, or anything, are you?” She asked, suddenly solemn. Dean sighed heavily.

“No, I’m not getting rid of them. At least, I don’t think I am. It’s just..,” Dean huffed and shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want people to know because they’re gonna judge me. I’m a single, unmated pregnant Omega. You know how judgmental people get over that type of thing.”

“Oh,” the smile disappeared from Charlie’s face and she bit her lips. “I didn’t even think of that,” she said, scratching the side of her neck. “But, I mean… Can’t you just get in contact with the Alpha-parent? I can’t imagine an Alpha rejecting an Omega that they impregnated.”

Dean snorted. “Are you kidding me, Charlie? There are way more asshole Alphas out there than you think...,” Dean said, shaking his head. “But, uh… it’s not that simple. The father, you see… I don’t know him at all. I don’t even know what his last name is, or where he was from. It was a one night stand, by every definition of the phrase. There’s no way for me to track him down.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow at the Omega. “You wanna bet?” She smirked a bit, cracking his knuckles. “I bet you I could track him down in the matter of an hour. What’s his first name?”

“Charlie, it doesn’t matter,” Dean huffed, looking away. “I decided I want to raise the pups on my own, anyway. It’ll be easier.”

“Easier?” Charlie stared at Dean is disbelief. “But you just said–”

“I know what I just said, Charlie. But that doesn’t mean I want to track this guy down and saddle him with all this unwanted responsibility. It’s not right.”

“It’s not right that you should raise the pups on your own either,” Charlie growled, crossing her arms over her chest. Dean growled at her.

“Just drop it, Charlie. I don’t  _need_  some Alpha to take care of me. I can do it on my own,” he insisted. Charlie growled back at him and was just about to retort when the bathroom door opened, and a female Omega teacher stood in the doorway, stunned by the sight of an Alpha and Omega in the bathroom and the smell of posturing pheromones in the air.

“Am I… interrupting… something?” She squeaked. Charlie shook her head.

“Not at all. We were just leaving,” she said tightly. Dean growled at her.

“Not a word of this to anyone,” he snarled, jabbing Charlie in the clavicle with his pointer finger and storming out of the room. Charlie huffed out an aggravated sigh and followed out after him, leaving the Omega teacher standing in the bathroom, equally confused and embarrassed at the display she had just witnessed.

The rest of the day passed without any further incidents. Charlie didn’t bring up Dean’s pregnancy during lunch, much to the Omega’s relief, but he could sense that it was still laying heavy on her mind and that she would be bringing it up again soon.

The truth was, Dean wasn’t even sure if he was going to go through with this pregnancy. He wasn’t going to track down this Alpha who had impregnated him and demand he support him when Dean wasn’t even sure if he wanted to keep the pups anyway. Sure, he had always wanted pups, but he hadn’t wanted to have them so young. And he certainly hadn’t wanted to have them like this- single and alone with no one but himself to support them.

The more he thought about it, the more abortion seemed like the most practical option.

He knew that Sam would support any decision he made, even though he would probably lecture Dean about how abortion was a sin. Sam had always been a bit conservative in that way, but at the same time Dean knew that he would respect the Omega’s decision. He knew that Benny would be furious with him if he found out that Dean was even  _considering_ , and Charlie would probably be angry at him too, but he really didn’t care. It was his body and his choice either way. Besides, he could just tell them he had had a miscarriage and that would be the end of it.

By the time that Dean made it to the clinic for his four o’clock appointment with the obstetrician, he had already made up his mind. He was going to get an abortion and be done with it, and he wouldn’t look back. As he sat in the waiting room he decided to shoot a quick text to Sam to let him know what was going on, even though he knew the kid was probably still in class and wouldn’t answer his phone.

**** To: Sam  
October 13, 2015 | 3:49 PM  
_I changed my mind… I think I’m going to get an abortion_

Dean didn’t expect a reply from his brother, so when his phone buzzed in his pocket he was moderately surprised. He unlocked his phone, reading Sam’s reply.

**** From: Sam  
October 13, 2015 | 4:02 PM  
_R u srs?? U sure abt this? Dean don’t do anything ur gonna regret plz_

Dean stared at his phone for a few moments before stuffing it back into his pocket and ignoring the text. He knew that his brother was just trying to look out of his best interest, and nothing he had said had told Dean that he shouldn’t get an abortion, but for some reason the text message made him angry. Maybe it was just the stupid pregnancy hormones, or maybe he himself was feeling guilty about wanting to get an abortion, but the last thing he wanted to hear from Sam was a question like “are you sure?”.

It barely registered to Dean when the receptionist called his name, and it was only because the Omega beside him elbowed him in the ribcage and asked “are you Dean Winchester?” that he realized it was his turn to see the doctor. He seemed to float into the examination room, plopping down on the table and listening to the Beta nurse talk as she set up equipment around the room.

“You’re going to have to take your shirt off, if you don’t mind. The doctor is going to rub some of this cool gel onto your belly- don’t worry, it’s hypoallergenic- and you don’t want to get any of that stuff on your clothes. Leaves a nasty stain,” the Beta crinkled her nose up and giggled, looking around the room and finally seeming to realize that Dean was alone. “Is your Alpha not going to be joining us today?”

“Uh- I...,” Dean cleared his throat, deciding that it would be easier to just go along with the explanation that the Beta had created rather than letting her know the truth. “He couldn’t make it. Busy at work,” Dean said, coughing a bit. The Beta smiled and nodded.

“Oh, of course. You know Alphas, always hard at work,” she giggled again and rolled her eyes, stepping forward and setting up the examination table that Dean was sitting on. She put the stirrups up, pointing towards Dean’s pants after a moment. “Pants off, now,” she said with an encouraging smile.

“Uh, yeah,” Dean grunted as he wiggled out of his jeans and boxers, blushing slightly when his small cock and bare hole were exposed to the cold air and to the eyes of the Beta nurse. She didn’t flinch or stare, though, instead helping Dean position his legs into the stirrups in a very professional manner. A few minutes later the doctor walked in- a pretty Alpha female with shoulder length black hair and a kind smile.

“Hello, Dean,” she greeted him as she walked in, sparing him with a momentary glance as she walked over to the sink in the corner of the room and began to wash her hands. “I’m Dr. McKeon, but you can call me Tessa. Now, I’m sure you’ve had gynecology check-ups before, and this shouldn’t be much different,” she smiled as she pulled on her gloves and sat down in a wheelie-chair, sliding across the floor so that she was seated wrote in between Dean’s spread legs. He blushed a little when he felt her gloved fingers probing at his entrance, slick naturally coating the way for her to push her fingers in.

“Slick production seems adequate. Just let me check your prostate, now...,” she trailed off, a look of concentration on her face as she wiggled her fingers inside of the Omega. Dean yelped when he felt her hit his prostate, his legs jerking slightly as his little cock twitched to hardness. His cheeks turned red and Tessa chuckled, pulling her fingers free from his hole and patting his inner thigh.

Everything seems to be in order, sweetie. Now all I need is a quick sample of your slick and then we can get to the sonogram,” as she spoke she stood up, pulling her gloves off and tossing them into the trash. She left the room after that, presumably to go get some equipment, leaving Dean alone with the nurse again.

“Sonogram?” Dean’s nose crinkled up in confusion, and the nurse from earlier nodded at him.

“Yeah, that’s what I was talking about earlier with the gel. Dr. McKeon is going to press this nice little wand up against your belly so we can take pictures of the pups and make sure they’re developing alright.”

“Oh…” Dean frowned slightly and bit his lips. “I’m actually not sure we have to do that… I mean… I was actually about to ask-” Dean was cut off when the door opened again and Tessa walked back in, a soft smile on her face and a little glass cup in her hands.

“I’ve returned,” she smiled and set the glass jar down, pulling on a new pair of gloves and resuming her seat from earlier. Dean felt her fingers at his hole again, and this time he could feel the cup pressing up against his skin as well. The feeling only lasted for a few seconds before Tessa seemed to be satisfied, though, and she placed a plastic cap on the glass cup before handing it to the nurse and telling her to go put it in for testing.

Once the nurse had gone Tessa stood up, walking over to the sonogram machine and powering it up. As the machine turned itself on she picked up a bottle of gel, squirting a generous amount into her palm and stepping closer to Dean. He flinched at the first contact with the moist substance, his abdomen tightening up as the doctor began to massage the gel in to his stomach.

“So, you don’t have an Alpha?” The doctor asked, her tone soft. Dean looked up at her quickly, though when he looked at her face he saw that her words were not malicious. He sighed.

“No, I don’t,” he admitted quietly. The doctor hummed in response.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said as she pulled away from him, turning to press some buttons on the sonogram machine. She picked up the wand and pressed it against his stomach, beginning to move it around slowly as she watched the screen. “Do you have a plan?”

“I don’t know,” Dean said, frowning slightly. “Right now… I’m not even sure I want to keep them,” he admitted. The doctor hummed again and nodded in response to his words, moving the wand to the right a bit and pausing. She pointed to the screen, where two small masses seemed to be floating.

“Those are your pups, right there,” she said, a small smile gracing her lips. Dean looked up at the screen, his mouth dropping open when he saw the two human shaped blobs floating on the screen. He sat up, moving closer to the image, his breath hitching slightly.

“They look… They’re so…” He swallowed, reaching out to brush the screen with his fingertips. “They’re so real.”

“Mm-hmm,” the doctor smiled and shifted the wand a bit, revealing a third picture. She smiled. “And it looks like we’ve got a third one in there, too. Fella was playing hide and seek with me before,” she chuckled. Dean couldn’t help but stare at the pictures, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of his pups. All three of them, there, on that screen, and inside him too. He was so busy staring at the picture that he didn’t notice Tessa pressing some buttons on the sonogram machine, but then a printout of the screen was handed to him.

He took the picture into his hands with reverence, gaping down at the images as the doctor began to pack up the machine and wipe his stomach off. Tessa resumed her seat from earlier, leaning against the exam table and looking up at Dean.

“So, you still interested in that abortion? Because I can get you started on the pills right away, if that’s what you-”

“No,” Dean said quickly, looking down at the doctor and shaking his head. He rested a hand on his stomach, looking back at the picture of his pups and swallowing back the surge of emotions he felt when he looked down at the sonogram. “No, I want to keep them. I want them.”

Tessa smiled and reached out, patting at Dean’s wrist. “Alright, sweetheart. I’ll leave you to get dressed then.”

Dean’s lips quirked up into a half smile and he nodded at the doctor, though it didn’t seem like he was listening much. He was just too absorbed in the sonogram to concentrate on anything else. The doctor left with a smile on her face, and Dean stayed in the examination room admiring the picture for another ten minutes before he finally decided to get dressed and head home to show Sam his pictures.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Somebody To Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kijpcUv-b8M) by Queen

Castiel hadn’t expected the medicine that the doctor had prescribed him to work, so it was no surprise to him when all it managed to do was make his nausea worse. Luckily it also made him extremely fatigued, and he was able to sleep through the night undisturbed. When he woke up on his second morning in the hospital it was to find that the blinds had been drawn, and he nestled in closer to the pillows and closed his eyes again, momentarily comfortable where he lay in his bed. A few moments later he heard voices, though in his half sleep state he couldn’t quite bring himself to concentrate on what they were saying.

“…think he’s awake,” his sister’s voice floated over to him, and he felt her hand resting over his ankle through the bed sheets. He frowned, the sensation making him uncomfortable even through the blankets, and he jerked his foot away.

“Let him sleep, Han,” Castiel could hear his brother-in-law Inias’s voice. Cas realized that sometime during the night or maybe even the morning he must have arrived at the hospital. “You know the poor kid needs it.”

Castiel grunted and shifted slightly on the bed, still keeping his eyes closed as he spoke, his voice low and thick with sleep. “‘M only two years younger than you, Inias,” he retorted. He heard the man laugh and come closer to the bed.

“Oh, look at you. Even in your sleep you’re still condescending,” he said, chuckling. Castiel cracked his eyes open, a smirk playing on his lips as he took in the sight of his brother-in-law standing before him. His light brown hair framed his face, well-kept but still a bit overgrown, and his pale blue eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of Castiel waking. Cas blinked as light flooded into his eyes, and he sighed and closed his eyes again as he rolled over on to his back.

“And I can see that you’re still the annoying brat of an Omega you’ve always been. Aren’t you getting a bit old to be bickering with sickly Alphas, Inias?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call you an Alpha, now…,” Inias teased, trailing off with a snicker. Castiel growled and cracked his eyes open again, glaring at his brother-in-law. He was just about to snap back at him when Hannah stepped in, obviously having had enough of their childish arguing.

“Alright, that’s enough. Inias, be a good boy and go get the nurse for Cas,” she said, taking a seat on the edge of Cas’s bed and reaching out to rest her hand over his. Inias nodded.

“Of course, Alpha,” he said submissively, ducking his head and kissing Hannah’s cheek before he darted from the room. Castiel watched him go, then turned to look back at his sister. He sighed and smiled weakly. Hannah smiled back and squeezed his hand.

“How’re you feeling?”

“No better than yesterday. Is mom still coming to visit later today?”

“Yeah, she said she’s going to stop by after mass,” Hannah said. Castiel sighed heavily and looked away from his sister.

“Great,” he mumbled, exasperated. Then he looked back up at Hannah, squinting at her. “You didn’t stay here all night, did you?”

“No, no,” Hannah shook her head and looked back at the doorway to the room. “Inias came and picked me up around eight, right after you took your meds and passed out,” she smiled a little. “The poor thing was so worried about you. When he walked in he almost started crying because he said you looked so dead.”

Castiel frowned slightly. “Am I really that sick, that I look dead?” Cas asked, sounding horrified. Hannah shook her head.

“No. Inias just gets a little overdramatic when he’s gearing up for a cycle,” she said, rolling her eyes. Castiel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Hannah’s words.

“I thought that he was on suppressants. Has he gone off them?” Cas said, sitting up a little bit. Hannah’s cheeks turned pink and she looked away from her brother, and Castiel gasped, smiling. “Oh my God, are you guys trying for pups?”

“Shh,” Hannah shushed Castiel quickly as a large, gummy smile spread over his face and he sunk back into the mattress. She glanced back at the door before speaking. “Inias doesn’t want anybody to know just yet, but yeah… We are trying,” she smiled. “He has his first doctor’s appointment tomorrow, actually, to see if he’s caught yet.”

“Oh, Han,” Castiel smiled widely and reached for his sister’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze before he settled back into the pillows and tucked his hands at his sides. Just then Inias came back in, along with one of the nurses. She bustled over to Cas’s bed and began to adjust his IV and check his vitals.

“So, Hannah said that you’re suffering from a false mating?” Inias asked as he sat down in a chair by Cas’s bedside. Castiel nodded.

“Yeah… Well, the blood test results came back all fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure that’s what this is anyway. They’ve got another set in the lab right now, I think,” he sighed and sunk further under the covers.

“You know those are like… really rare, right? Only one in like a billion cases or something like that,” he said, leaning back in his chair. Castiel nodded silently, and Inias continued. “They usually only happen with true mates, too. At least that’s what I read.”

Castiel snorted. “True mates? You’ve gotta be kidding me, Inias. You’ve been watching too many Rom-Coms.”

“Hey, true mates are a real thing,” Inias argued, looking towards his Alpha for support. Hannah shrugged back at him.

“I don’t know, babe. I feel like if they were a legitimate thing they would happen way more often than they do, or we would at least know somebody who had experienced one by now.”

“In that case you might say that false mating isn’t real either,” Inias countered, puffing his chest out at his Alpha defiantly. Hannah growled quietly at him.

“Inias, do you need me to take you over my knee in front of Cas right now?” She asked. Inias’s cheeks turned bright red and he ducked his head submissively. Castiel cleared his throat.

“No, Hannah, he’s got a point,” Cas said, smiling softly over at Inias. The Omega seemed to preen under Cas’s praising words, and the Alpha continued. “We should not be so ready to dismiss a true mate bond as an optimal cause for the false mating, but… personally… I doubt that that was the case. When I was with Dean I never felt any spark or outstanding connection between the two of us that could have indicated that we were true mates. There’s probably some other explanation for this all.”

“Yeah,” Inias nodded his head at Cas and the Alpha smiled, looking back up at Hannah. She sighed and stood up, reaching out to take Inias’s hand.

“Come on, let’s go get breakfast downstairs. We’ll bring something back for you, Cas.”

“I’m not hungry,” Castiel said with a slight frown, sinking back under the covers. Hannah looked back at him for a moment, frowning slightly before Inias grabbed her arm and whined to her.

“Han, I’m starved. Come on,” he whimpered. Hannah turned, focusing her attention on her Omega as he pulled her from the room. Castiel watched them go, slightly relieved once they left, taking their scents with them. The throbbing headache he had felt forming earlier seemed to fade away slightly, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he could make his way to the bathroom and relieve himself.

When he returned to the bed, Castiel tucked himself under the covers and snuggled close to the pillow. He was still tired, believe it or not, and he wanted to rest his eyes a bit. So when he felt a hand tapping at his shoulder ten minutes later his first instinct was to growl, turning to glare at the perpetrator. As it turned out, it was his doctor.

The Alpha chuckled, smiling at Cas and putting his hands up. “Sorry if I disturbed you, Mr. Milton. I just came to tell you that your blood results have come back from the lab.”

“And?’ Castiel roused himself, shuffling around under the sheets and raising his eyebrows at the clean cut doctor. The man sighed and scratched the back of his neck.

“Well, the readings were still a bit fuzzy… But as far as we can tell, what you’re suffering from is in fact a false mating,” he declared, lifting his chart up and scribbling against it as Castiel flopped back against the mattress and groaned loudly. The doctor tore off a prescription a moment later, handing it back to Cas.

“I want you to take these in conjunction with the medicine I prescribed you yesterday. This one is called  _ExCaligo_ , and should take care of most of the symptoms you are experiencing. Still, it’s likely you’ll be experiencing mild to severe dysphoria and loneliness. These false matings can sometimes have a pretty nasty psychological effect on those who suffer from them. You’ll want to keep family members close, and if the effects become severe, you may wish to seek some psychological help.”

Castiel bit his lips, picking at his blanket with his nails. He imagined that his doctor must be exaggerating about the depression and the loneliness that the false mating would bring, and even so, would a little heartache really change things so much for him? After all, Castiel was used to being alone. Ever since his sister had passed away years ago- or maybe even before that- there had been this sense of  _missing_  that Cas had carried around with him everywhere he went. A hole in his heart that he couldn’t seem to fill.

Anna had somewhat filled that void, when she was still alive. She had been his best friend- a kindred spirit and his rock. But no matter how many friends he made or relationships he tried to forge, none seemed to make up for the emptiness he felt inside of him. And then Anna had died in that car accident and suddenly he was entirely alone with nobody to relate to. Sure, he had Hannah and he had Gabriel, and he loved them, but around them he still felt as if he were on his own. A stranger in his own family.

Sometimes it was terrifying, really, but over time Castiel had become quite accustomed to feeling like he had no place in the world. The quiet, the aloneness; they were both so natural to him now that if he didn’t feel lonely he thought he would find it weird. So to hear this doctor tell him that the worst thing he would feel during this false mating was loneliness- well, Castiel was pretty sure there were worse things he could suffer than being alone.

Still, his anxiety claimed him, and he bit his lips as he looked up at the doctor. “Do you think…?”

“That you’ll need psychological help? No. You’ll get over this false mating soon enough, I’m sure.”

Castiel let out a breathy sigh, nodding. He rubbed at his eyes as he laid back, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Thanks, doctor. Thank you.” He opened his eyes again and reached out, taking the prescription from the man’s hands. “I’ll get this filled after I check out.”

“Alright. I want you to take your time, now. And no work for at least two weeks.”

Castiel sighed and nodded, looking down at his lap. “Of course.”

\---

“Oh, Castiel,” Naomi, his mom, walked into his hospital room around noon, just as one of the Omega nurses had finally coerced him into taking a few bites of his lunch. Inias and Hannah had gone home a few hours earlier, leaving Castiel to rest on his own for a bit.

Evidentially, however, he would not get that time as his mom bustled over to him, stroking her fingers through his hair and leaning down to kiss his face. He smiled politely at her as her perfume invaded his sensitive nostrils, and he felt his head spin slightly.

“Hello, mom,” he said, setting his food to the side and smiling weakly at her. She pursed her lips.

“Oh, my poor sweetheart. What’s happened to you, Castiel? Hannah said it was a false mating… Is that true?’

Castiel snorted and scrubbed a hand down his face, scrunching his nose up as his mom’s strong scent continued to irritate his nose. “Yes, mom. I… There was this Omega,” he let out a long, tired sigh, closing his eyes and pinching at the bridge of his nose. “Dean. I met him in Kansas, when I went to see Gabriel,” he opened his eyes again and looked up at his mom, blushing bright red when he saw the incredulous look on Naomi’s face. “We… Well I… He and I…” Castiel trailed off, looking down at his lap shamefully. “I made a mistake.”

“Well, it is what you’re famous for doing,” Naomi said rather harshly, though Castiel nodded in agreement at her words. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, giving her son a disapproving look. “I swear, Castiel, what is the matter? Both of your siblings are mated and you’re still single, hooking up with random people,” she clicked her teeth together with a sense of disapprobation. “Are you gay? Is that why you haven’t settled down?”

Castiel balked at his mom. “No, I’m not gay! Mom, it was having sex with an Omega that got me here in the first place.”

Naomi huffed and turned away from her son and looked down at her nails, obviously annoyed. “Whatever, Castiel. You shouldn’t have been behaving so promiscuously in the first place anyway, and you know that. In fact, you’re lucky that you didn’t catch any STD’s from that Omega you slept with. You know how dirty some of them are.”

Castiel had to refrain from growling at his own mom as she spoke, and for some reason he felt a sudden swell to defend Dean. He suppressed it, however, knowing that his mom was mostly right. He shouldn’t have behaved the way he did at that bar in Kansas; he never should have hooked up with Dean in the first place. And he was lucky that he hadn’t caught any STD’s from the Omega, either, because if he remembered the events of that night correctly he hadn’t been wearing a condom when he knotted the other man.

“Don’t think on it so much, Castiel,” Naomi’s voice brought his attention back to the hospital room, and he looked up at his mom with a small frown on his face as she continued to speak. “The damage is done now. I think that you should come live with me, though, while you recover. It will be for the best.”

Castiel swallowed and nodded in agreement with his mom. She was right- living with her would be good for him, as much as it pained him to think such a thing. He needed somebody to look after him, and he couldn’t very well ask Hannah or Gabriel to do it, especially when they had mates and families of their own.

“Good,” his mom smiled at him for what seemed to be the first time since the beginning of her visit. She stood up. “I will go check you out, then. Why don’t you get up and put some clothes on?’

Castiel nodded slowly, averting his eyes from the older woman before him. “Yes, mom.”

“Don’t look so glum, Castiel. You’ll be better in no time, and then we’re going to find you a mate,” she said, smiling tightly at him and patting his leg before walking away.

Castiel pushed away the part of his mind that whispered in response,  _"I already have a mate,"_  nodding at his mom’s words and fighting back the urge to vomit when he thought about living with his mom.

After getting dressed in his work clothes from Friday and collecting his belongings, Castiel stumbled out to the reception area where his mom was waiting for him. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, her scent still perturbing Castiel and made him feel queasy. He fought the urge to push her away though, knowing that his mom was his only way home at the moment.

Naomi drove Castiel back to his own apartment, at his insistence, though she promised to be back early the next morning to get things started with the move. Castiel humored her as she rambled on about her plans; he was only half listening to her speak as he thought about what he might make himself for dinner.

As it turned out, Castiel skipped dinner. As soon as he got back into his own apartment he went to his room and flopped down on the bed, exhausted. Cas knew that he should probably start packing a suitcase so that he could go stay with his mom, but the truth was that all he wanted to do at that moment was sleep. Of course, just as he got comfortable on his mattress, his phone rang.

Groaning softly, Castiel dug his cell phone out of his pocket and clicked  _SEND_  before holding it up to his ear.

“Hello?” He groused, his eyes still closed as he talked on the phone.

“Hey, little bro. You okay? You sound weird.”

Castiel sighed. “I’m fine, Gabe,” he said, blinking his eyes open and looking up at the ceiling of his bedroom. “Just tired. I just got back from the hospital, actually.”

“Yeah, mom told me about that. She said you’re going to be living with her,” he sounded concerned as he spoke, and Castiel sighed as he rolled over and got into a more comfortable position to lay and talk on the phone.

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s thrilled that I’m staying over,” he said dryly, rolling his eyes. “Of course, it's only going to be for a few weeks. I'm sure I'll be fine within the month," he paused, sighing heavily. "I swear to God, this is absolutely miserable. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“Mom said that it was a false mating. You hooked up with an Omega when you were visiting in Kansas, right?”

“Yeah,” Castiel huffed. “It’s horrible, Gabe. And the doctors have no clue why it happened, either- I mean, they said that it usually only happens in instances of true mates and traumatic bonding. Obviously there was no trauma, but true mate pairs are practically myths. Bed time stories.”

Castiel heard Gabriel make a clicking noise with his teeth over the phone before he spoke, his voice soft and sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Cassie.”

He grunted in response. “I just don’t understand why this had to happen to me. I mean  _seriously_ , what did I do to deserve this? Hook up with some Omega out of wedlock? I wasn’t aware that God was keeping score and would punish me personally for my sins.”

Gabriel made an annoyed sound over the phone. “What you’re going through sounds like a bad biological reaction to sex. I doubt what you’re going through is really an act of God, Cas.”

Castiel hummed. “Yes, well, you never think anything is an act of God.”

“Better to think that way than think like mom does,” Gabriel mumbled. Castiel snorted, trying to contain his laughter.

“Oh my God, she asked me if I was gay today.” He rolled his eyes, getting annoyed simply thinking about the encounter. Gabriel laughed out loud.

“Are you serious? What did you say?”

“I told her no,” Castiel smiled slyly. “Of course, she doesn’t need to know about all those Alphas I made out with in college.”

“Oh my God, Cas,” Gabriel sounded like he was dying on the other end of the phone, he was laughing so hard. “What happens in college stays in college, right?”

“Right,” Castiel snickered, a grin splitting his face. Talking to Gabriel always seemed to relax him, even though Gabriel did get on his nerves sometimes. Of course, he was never expected the words that came out of his brother’s mouth next.

“Listen, Cas… I know you already told mom you were going to stay with her, but… I mean, Kali and I would be happy to have you come stay here too, if you wanted.”

“Gabe…”

“If you’re about to say that you have responsibilities at your job, I’m sure that you can keep your job and work from here. There are Angel Entertainment branches all over the country.”

“It’s not that. It’s just… Are you sure that’s the best idea? I wouldn’t want to be imposing on your and Kali’s privacy.”

Gabriel hummed. “I don’t think that would be an issue. But, I mean, if you don’t want to come stay that’s fine. I was just offering ‘cause, you know, living with mom sounds like it’s going to be hell for you,” he snorted. “I know it sure was hell for me.”

“Oh. Well, thank you for the offer. It means a lot, but I feel like I would be more of a burden than anything,” he laughed sadly. “I am anything but useful these days. I can’t even have the windows open without getting a headache.”

“About that- I’ve been reading that these false matings can get pretty bad. Did the doctors give you any medication or anything?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m going to get them filled tomorrow. They’re supposed to make the symptoms milder, but something tells me all they’re going to do is knock me out.”

“Probably,” Gabriel chuckled. “But anyway, the offer still stands if you ever want to take me up on it. Mi casa es su casa,” he said. Castiel snorted.

“Okay, Gabriel. I’ll remember you said that.” He said, shifting slightly on his bed. He tried to stifle a yawn, though he was pretty sure that Gabriel heard it. His brother sighed on the other end.

“Well, let me let you go. You take care of yourself now, okay?”

“Of course, Gabriel. Thank you for calling.”

“Yeah, yeah, you make it sound like I actually care about you…” Gabriel mumbled, his voice laced with sarcasm. Castiel laughed tiredly.

“Have a goodnight, brother. I love you too.”

“Mmm. Talk to you soon, Cassie,” he said, and a moment later the line went dead. Castiel let out a small sigh and tossed his phone to the other end of the bed, reaching out to turn his lamp off. It only took a few moments after the darkness had engulfed his bedroom before he was sound asleep.

\---

_Castiel’s fingertips brushed over something soft and warm, and he sighed contentedly as a happy feeling spread throughout his body. He moved closer, a figure coming into view. He wrapped his arms around him, pressing close and breathing in the person’s scent. Immediately he recognized it and his inner Alpha practically purred, because it was none other than Dean himself._

_“I thought you’d never come,” Dean’s breath was hot against his neck, little puffs of air sending chills up Castiel’s spine. The Alpha let out a breathy sigh and his arms tightened around the Omega as he pressed his nose against the scent glands in his neck._

_“I missed you so much,” he whispered. Dean pulled away slightly, pecking his lips and smiling at him. God, he was beautiful. Cas wondered how he could forget how beautiful he was._

_“If you missed me, why didn’t you come to me?” He asked quietly, his hands coming up to cup Cas’s face. Cas swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat._

_“I did come to you, Dean. I came to you now, I’m with you now…”_

_“No, Cas, you’re not…” And like that Castiel was suddenly aware of how cold he was. All of the warmth from earlier was now gone and Dean slipped from his arms, the only part of him left touching Cas being his fingertips. But even those began to slip away, and Cas reached out, trying to grasp on to Dean._

_“Don’t go, don’t go…” He whimpered. Dean reached back out for him, but it was no use because he was already gone, and all that was left in his wake was darkness._

Castiel awoke with a gasp, cold sweat beading on his forehead as his chest heaved with labored breaths. His head was throbbing painfully and he groaned, rolling over so that he could see what time it was. His alarm clock read 3:13 AM, and Castiel whimpered pitifully, closing his eyes again and trying not to pay attention to the images of Dean that danced across the insides of his eyelids.

Castiel groaned, gritting his teeth and burying his face in his pillow. “Jesus Christ, fucking kill me already.”

\---

Castiel decided that it would be best to simply ignore the odd dream he'd had, not wanting to confront the fact that it could allude to Cas’s false mating as being something more than just an abnormal biological reaction to sex. Rather he decided to act like it had never happened at all, going about his morning routine as usual. It felt nice to take a shower in his own bathroom and brush his teeth, and despite his lack of any real appetite, he was also happy to have some real food to put in his stomach.

Around nine o’clock in the morning, when Castiel had already been awake for nearly six hours, his mom rang the buzzer. He let her up, already having started on packing up some clothes into a suitcase. He was already starting to regret agreeing to stay with her, but he knew that arguing with her now would be useless. Whatever Naomi said was always what happened.

Castiel wasn’t expecting for his mom to bring up a whole moving crew, of course. After all, he was just going to be staying with Naomi for a few weeks at most. So when three Betas and an Alpha traipsed into his apartment along with his mom, he found himself growing nauseous. He had to excuse himself and locked himself in the bathroom, swaying and leaning heavily against the counter.

“Fuck…” He gasped, reaching out and opening the door to his medicine cabinet. He knocked over bottles as he searched for the Excedrin, his vision blurry, until he found the bottle and emptied nearly half of it into his palm. He could feel the other people’s scents overwhelming him even in here, behind closed doors, and he knew that it was in part because they were strangers that he was having such a harsh reaction to their scents.

There was a knock at the door just as Castiel downed a handful of pills, and he groaned, trying to swallow them down so that he could yell out that the room was occupied.

“Castiel?” His mom called from the other end of the door. Castiel made another noise and stepped towards the door, swaying and falling against it. He wrenched at the doorknob just before he fell, keeping himself from falling down as he opened the door for his mom.

“Mom,” he growled out. Naomi seemed taken aback by the tone of Castiel’s voice, though maybe it was also the bloodshot eyes and disheveled expression that surprised her as well.

“Castiel, I wasn’t sure where you had gone. You just disappeared…”

“Well, it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the strangers that you…” he trailed off as another wave of strange Beta and Alpha scent hit him and he felt bile rise in his throat. He swallowed it back, his eyes rolling back with the effort. His mom reached out, her hands wrapping around his biceps to hold him up.

“Do you want to lie down, baby?’ She asked. Castiel growled quietly and leaned against the doorframe, his chest heaving.

“I want those strangers out of my house,” he snarled. “I don’t even know why they’re here. I agreed to stay with you for a few weeks, a month  _at most._  Now get them out!” Naomi backed away from him, nodding.

“Oh. Oh, of course,” she said quickly, leaving Castiel in the bathroom doorway and rushing down the hallway. A moment passed before Cas felt another wave of nausea, and he slammed the bathroom door shut behind him just in time to hurl into the toilet bowl.

When the bathroom door opened again about forty-five minutes later, Castiel was surprised to look up and see his sister. She held a white paper bag in her hands and Cas raised his eyebrows, looking up at Hannah curiously.

“Can I come in?”

“Might as well,” Castiel ground out, leaning back on his haunches and taking the paper bag when Hannah held it out to him. “What’s this?” He asked, even as he opened it up.

“Your medicine. I picked it up on the way over here. When mom called she said you were feeling ill.”

“No shit I was feeling ill. She brought this crew of fucking…  _strangers_  into my house. I swear, Hannah, I was ready to kill her,” he huffed and quickly opened up the pill bottle, taking out one capsule and popping it into his mouth. He moaned around the pill and pointed to the cup on the counter, which Hannah filled with water for him and handed to him.

Once Cas swallowed the pill down he looked up at Hannah, who had a contemplative frown on her face. Cas bit his lips and reached out, touching her leg through her jeans.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine, Cas. I’m just really worried about you.”

Castiel let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t… Don’t worry about me, Han. How was Inias’s doctor’s appointment today, huh?”

Hannah’s expression seemed to brighten at the mention of her mate, and she smiled fondly. “He hasn’t caught yet. But the gynecologist says that he should be due for a heat any day now.”

“Good, that’s good,” Castiel smiled genuinely at his sister. “Omegas have a much higher chance of catching during heat. And Inias is still young, so getting pregnant should be easy for him.”

“Yeah,” she said, though her smile wavered slightly as she looked back out at the hallway. “You didn’t tell mom, did you? That he and I are trying for a pups?”

Castiel snorted. “Are you kidding me? I can’t even trust that woman to let me stay with her for a few weeks without turning it into a fucking soap opera. I would never share your secrets with her, don’t worry.”

Hannah smiled softly at her brother, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest. “Did I ever tell you that you’re my favorite brother, Cas?” She asked, smirking slightly. Castiel laughed, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t tell Gabriel that.”

\---

“Castiel, hurry up. The doorman isn’t going to hold the door much longer,” Naomi called from the doorway of her apartment complex, a tall, gray building with plated glass windows all around the perimeter that reflected the street in front. Castiel squinted up at the windows as he trudged down the sidewalk dragging a suitcase behind him, the light flashing off the glass hurting his eyes and making him dizzy.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he grumbled- practically growled- as he stomped over to the doorway where his mom was standing. It had been nearly a week since his mom had invaded his home with her moving team of strangers, and after making it clear to her with a long phone conversation that he would only be staying with her for a few weeks, he was ready to pack up and stay with her. The weather outside was bitterly cold, and the doorman glared at Cas as he approached, unhappy that the young Alpha had kept him holding the door open for so long. Cas couldn’t care less though- he was running a small fever, and the cold seemed to cool him off.

“Hurry inside _now_ , Castiel. You’ll catch pneumonia.” His mom snapped as she grabbed onto Cas’s arm, pulling him into the building. Castiel huffed, annoyed, and yanked his arm away from her.

“Good, maybe pneumonia will kill me,” he mumbled. Naomi scowled at him and tilted her head to the side, giving him a sharp look. He sighed and looked down at his hands, picking at his nails with his thumb nail. Behind them the doorman closed the doors, and a gust of wind flew into the room. The man flashed her a smile and wished her a good day before turning back to face the entrance, and Cas had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He was irritable, that much was true, and he was not in a good mood at all.

“Mom, could we head upstairs already? I’m feeling nauseous,” Castiel lied. He wasn’t feeling nauseous at all- simply tired, achy, and irritable- but he knew that if anything would get his mom moving it would be the thought of impending vomit. Naomi frowned and stepped forward to brush a hand over Castiel’s flushed face and through his hair, ignoring the way that he flinched at the burning contact. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and leading him towards the elevator.

“My poor baby. It’s a good thing you have me to take care of you, isn’t it?” She said, pursing her lips. Castiel sighed and said nothing in response, instead closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. They stepped into the elevator, the motion of it making Castiel’s stomach lurch, and suddenly he was nauseous after all. He grunted and leaned against the wall, grasping onto the gold-plated railing as his mom’s grip around his shoulder tightened.

“Castiel?”

“Is he okay?” The elevator man, a Beta, asked. Castiel growled in response to the man’s words, and he could smell the fear that radiated off of the man in reaction. Naomi shushed him, rubbing up and down the side of his body.

“I’m sorry about him. He’s just…,” she sighed, and when Castiel opened his eyes to look at his mom he saw that she looked embarrassed. Ashamed. It took everything in him to restrain the growl that bubbled up inside of him upon seeing the look on Naomi’s face. It was suddenly clear to him, now more than before, that his mom didn’t care about his well-being. She was so ashamed that he was even _sick_ that she couldn’t explain to a complete stranger what was wrong with him. His mom’s words from only minutes ago came back to his mind- _It’s a good thing you have me to take care of you, isn’t it?_ -and it was so obvious to Cas that the only reason she was taking him in was to feel good about herself. To make it look like she was a good mom, when the truth was that she was still the shallow woman she always had been.

When the elevator door slid open, Naomi was quick to leave, trying to drag Castiel along with her. He pulled away, though, stopping in front of the Beta elevator man.

“I’m sorry,” he ground out, turning when he heard his mom’s voice calling him from halfway down the corridor. He grumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes, and the Beta smiled kindly at him.

“Have a nice day,” he said quietly. Castiel nodded and turned, dragging his suitcase along with him down the corridor. There was soft carpet beneath his feet, a pretty pale blue color that was complimented by the cream wallpaper. Pictures of flowers and oceans hung on the walls, and the hallway reminded Cas of the hotel he had stayed in when he was in Kansas.

When he finally reached the door of his mom’s apartment it was already open and he stepped inside, scowling at the scent of the place. The smell of incense and musty fabric hit his nose and made him gag, and his bad mood turned into a foul one almost immediately.

“It smells like an animal died in here,” he practically snarled as soon as he stepped inside. Naomi stopped in the kitchen doorway just before she entered, placing her hands on her hips and turning to squint at Castiel.

“Excuse me?”

Castiel huffed and rolled his eyes. “Forget it,” he mumbled. Naomi stared at him for another moment before she sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears. 

“Your room is right down the hall, past the bathroom. The sheets have been washed and folded at the foot of the bed,” Naomi said. “Maybe you should go take a nap.”

“Yeah,” Castiel muttered, picking up his suitcase. “Yeah,” he repeated, then trudged down the hallway towards the doorway that his mom had mentioned. “Maybe that’s a good idea. I… Good night, mom.”

“Sleep well, Castiel,” Naomi said, then turned and disappeared into the kitchen. Castiel sighed, standing in the hallway for a moment before he finally opened the door and entered the room. It was small, but not too small. It almost reminded Castiel of a bigger version of a college dorm room, with a desk in the corner and a full twin in the middle. He set his suitcase down against the side of the bed, plopping down on the bare mattress and groaning.

It hadn’t been that long of a day, but he was exhausted. Every muscle in his body felt overworked, and he was starting to develop a headache. With a heavy sigh he rolled over, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before he closed his eyes and let sleep consume him.

\---

_“Come lay with me, Alpha,” a sweet voice called out to him. Cas’s breath hitched at the sound of it- a wonderful noise that made his heart skip a beat. He turned, blinking in surprise when he saw an Omega lying in his bed. And not just any Omega-_ Dean. __

_“Dean,” Castiel breathed out as he crawled onto the bed. The Omega smiled, wide and toothy just like Cas remembered, and opened his arms up to Cas. The Alpha practically purred, scooting closer to Dean and wrapping his arms around him. He buried his nose in his neck, inhaling the wonderful scent of mate and home. “I missed you.”_

_“I missed you too,” Dean’s voice came out in a breathy sigh, and he took Cas’s hand, placing it on his stomach. Only then did Castiel realize that it was sticking out; a small, firm bump that had Cas’s voice catching in his throat. His eyes flickered up to Dean’s- just as bright and green as he remembered them- and the Omega grinned. “The pups and I both did.”_

_“The pups…,” Cas choked out, tears filling his eyes. He surged forward, pecking Dean’s lips and burying his face in his neck. “Our pups,” he breathed out, and Dean purred, snuggling closer to the Alpha. Cas found himself inhaling deeply as he pressed his nose against the Omega’s scent glands, behind his right ear. The smell of leather and cinnamon and fresh cut grass was faint though, and Cas found himself whimpering as he pressed his nose closer, chasing the sweet Omega scent that seemed to be fading by the second._

_“Dean… I can’t smell you…”_

_“What are you talking about, Cas? I’m right here,” he breathed, his fingers ghosting over Cas’s cheek. Warmth blossomed in their wake and Cas sighed, closing his eyes and letting a smile lift the corners of his mouth. He let his fingers tighten around Dean, around his back, and he pulled the Omega impossibly closer, finding comfort in the warmth of his body._

Castiel awoke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright in bed and looking around the room. It wasn’t where he usually slept, and it took a moment for the Alpha to get his bearings and realize where he was- in his mom’s apartment, sleeping on a bare mattress, with no Omega in sight.

With a heavy sigh Castiel collapsed against the mattress, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to fight back tears. In all of his twenty-eight years of life Cas had never felt a pain quite like this. It was like someone had carved his heart out of his chest, and now there was nothing but a hollow space left where it once was. It was as if something had been stolen from him; something he had never had in the first place, but he missed nonetheless. He whimpered and rolled onto his side, curling into a ball and trying not to think of Dean.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was. He didn’t deserve to be suffering from a false mating, or missing somebody who he didn’t even know or care about, or having these confusing dreams about the Omega. But the worst part of it all, he thought, was that he was enjoying the dreams. Enjoying them more than he’d enjoyed anything in weeks, and he knew that that was a bad thing. Because not only were the dreams completely unreal and only a product of his subconscious, but every dream he had about Dean only made him want to be with him more.

Heaving a laborious sigh, Castiel shuffled into a sitting position and reached into his pocket, pulling out his iPhone. He squinted at the screen for a moment when it lit up, effectively lowering the brightness before he swiped the phone to unlock. Immediately several messages popped up on the screen- some from Hannah and a few from Samandriel. He sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face as he opened up the messages from Hannah.

**From: Hannah  
11/7/15 | 12:01 PM**

_How’s it going with mom?_

**From: Hannah  
11/7/15 | 2:38 PM**

_Mom just called 2 complain about your ‘attitude’. R you ok??_

Castiel sighed and scratched the back of his neck, thinking for a moment before he opened a new message to his sister. He frowned as he began to type, glancing at the time at the top of his phone screen. It was nearly five o’clock in the evening by this time, and it was shocking for Cas to realize that he’d been asleep for more than four hours.

**To: Hannah  
11/7/15 | 4:51 PM**

_Sorry, I was sleeping. And mom is mom. How do you expect it to be going?_

Castiel sent the reply off to his sister, then turned his attention to the text messages from Samandriel. His assistant was still worried about him, no doubt, but it was also clear that there was work to be done back at the office and he needed Castiel’s help with it, even if Cas was on leave. Samandriel had texted him to let him know that there were a few emails he needed to look over and approve of before they could be sent out, and that he needed to call Zachariah in the morning to talk about rescheduling the Harvelle Company-Angel Entertainment merger meeting. Castiel growled aloud at the thought of having to sit through another conference about the merger, and was about to send Samandriel a text telling him to just push through whatever paperwork needed to get filed in order to make the merger happen when his sister texted him back.

**From: Hannah  
11/7/15 | 5:00 PM**

_So sorry 4 you right now bro. Wanna come over for dinner? Inias is at book club and I was gonna order a pizza…_

Castiel smiled. Pizza sounded like a really good idea right now, as did getting out of the apartment. His mom’s house still smelled like expired incense and moth balls, and it didn’t seem like the kind of smell that he would be getting used to anytime soon. He quickly tapped out a reply to his sister that he would be at her place soon, shuffling out of bed and stretching his muscles. He made his way out into the hallway and ducked into the bathroom, setting his phone down on the sink and turning the water on so that he could splash his face after his nap.

Once he decided that he looked presentable, he went back into the bedroom and picked up his jacket from the bed. He shrugged it on, stuffing his phone into the pocket of the coat and making his way into the living room. His mom was sitting in front of the TV drinking wine with one of her friends, and they both looked up when he walked in. Naomi smiled widely- a bit too widely to be natural- and stood up to drag Castiel towards her and the other woman on the couch.

“Oh, Cassie, you’re awake,” she smiled, raking her nails through his thick black hair. Cas resisted the urge to flinch away, smiling tightly at his mom and then looking down at the woman on the couch. Naomi cleared her throat. “This is my son. I’m letting him stay here for a while, while he recovers from his hospital visit.”

“Oh,” the woman leaned forward, raising her eyebrows as she looked Cas up and down. The Alpha couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable under her appraising gaze, and he cleared his throat, shifting on his feet.

“Mom, I was just about to go visit Hannah.” He flinched when he felt her nails dig into the back of his neck for a moment before she dropped her hand, smiling tightly at him.

“Alright, sweetheart. Make sure you stay warm; it’s cold out,” she said, her voice full of false concern. Castiel nodded.

“Kay, mom. Don’t wait up, I’ll probably be out for a while,” he said as he walked towards the door. As he left the apartment and was closing the polished wood door he could hear his mom, complaining how ‘kids these days just don’t take care of themselves’. He rolled his eyes upon hearing the sentence leave his mom’s mouth, feeling his head throb with the action. Though, honestly, he couldn’t really bring himself to care at the moment.

During the taxi ride to his sister’s house he used his phone to go through the emails Samandriel had forwarded him, sending them back to his assistant with his corrections attached. By the time he arrived at his sister’s house he had approved all but one of them, and decided that he would do it early the next morning, when he had time. Right now all he wanted to do was relax and have a good time with his sister.

His mom had been right when she had said that it was cold outside, but as he had in the morning, Castiel actually enjoyed the cold. He’d found that his fever was gone, but growing up in Chicago all his life Cas had always enjoyed the cold- unlike his brother Gabriel, who hated the cold so much that he had moved all the way to Kansas to escape it. Now that he thought about it, his sister Anna had always loved the cold, and Castiel felt a pang of sorrow in his chest when he thought about all the winters they had spent waxing poetic about the snow and all of their plans for winters when they were grown up.

“Hey, little Alpha, you gonna stand out here all night or are you gonna pay me? I’m freezing my ass off out here,” the taxi driver snapped, a scowl on his face. Castiel smiled apologetically and dug into his pocket, handing the man a twenty dollar bill.

“Does that cover it?” He asked. The man nodded.

“Yeah, you want your change?”

Castiel shook his head, waving his hand at the man dismissively. “No, keep the change,” he said, then turned and stuffed his hands into his pockets, walking towards the front of his sister’s apartment building. He pressed the buzzer and a moment later her voice came through the speakers.

“Who’s there?”

“Your wonderful, handsome brother,” Castiel grinned. He heard Hannah snort out a laugh on the other end.

“Is that you, Gabriel?” She teased, laughing. Castiel grinned and rolled his eyes in response to her words, and a moment later heard the front door unlock, granting him access to the building. He walked in quickly, nearly knocked off his feet by the stark contrast between the cold outside and the warmth of the apartment building lobby.

His sister greeted him with a hug upon his entrance into the apartment, and he smiled as they pulled apart. The whole house smelled of a happily mated couple; a warm, welcoming home where a content Alpha and Omega lived together.

“So…,” Castiel started when he walked in, looking around and raising his eyebrows. “Pizza?”

Hannah laughed, grinning and slinging an arm over her brother’s shoulder. “Got here just before you did. Come on, I’ve got some beers in the fridge and they’re gonna go to waste if you and I don’t finish ‘em off tonight.”

“Yeah?” Castiel asked, raising his eyebrows at his sister, who smirked a little bit and nodded.

“Yeah. Inias had his heat last week,” her cheeks colored as Castiel let out a happy laugh, slapping her across the back and grinning at her. She put her hand on his face and pushed him away from her, pursing her lips. “Don’t make such a big deal out of it, Cassie. We’re still not sure if it’s for sure…”

“But?”

Hannah sighed heavily, turning back to face her brother once they reached the kitchen. Her hands were crossed over her chest but she smiled, unable to contain her happiness any longer. “But the home test came back positive, and we’re pretty sure the doctor’s test is gonna come back with the same results.”

“Oh, Hannah!” Castiel drew her in for a hug, kissing her cheek. “Congratulations,” he said softly, pulling away after a moment and leaning against the counter. Hannah grinned back at him as she moved around the kitchen, grabbing two beers and setting them onto the counter as she pulled a pizza box from the oven, where she had evidentially been keeping it warm.

“Yeah, we’re very excited. Inias is just…,” she sighed wistfully. “I’ve never seen him so content. And his scent has changed too- it’s pretty much addicting. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing better than the smell of a happy, pregnant Omega.”

Castiel was suddenly reminded of his dream from earlier that afternoon; of Dean’s pregnant belly, so firm and real beneath his palm. He also remembered the pain and emptiness he had felt after waking up, and suddenly he felt overwhelmed by sadness. Because while his sister was enjoying her pregnant mate, Castiel’s mate- _not my mate_ , he reminded himself- was off in Kansas somewhere enjoying himself, probably without a care in the world. He let out a heavy sigh, slumping against the counter. Hannah turned to look at him, a frown gracing her features.

“Oh, Cas,” she breathed, coming over to him and wrapping him in a hug. “I’m sorry, I’m going on and on about how happy Inias and I are and you… I’m sorry, brother.”

“No, don’t be,” he said quickly, rubbing her back and pulling her back in for a hug, so that he could rest his chin on top of her head. “I’m so happy for you and your mate. You two deserve to be happy. Please don’t feel bad about it on my account.”

“But-”

“Shh,” Castiel pursed his lips, pulling back and poking her nose. She blinked in surprise and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. Castiel gave her the best smile that he could, leaning against the counter again. “No buts, Hannah. I love you, and I’m happy for you. Now let’s get those beers, slice up that pizza and watch some ballet, huh?”

Hannah laughed aloud, nodding along with what Castiel said. “Sure thing, little bro. Any excuse to watch ballet, right?”

Castiel grinned shamelessly. “Exactly.”

\---

A long weekend of rest and becoming situated in his mom’s apartment seemed to be what Castiel really needed. He was still extremely irritable around everyone, and his thoughts never seemed to stray far before he found himself thinking of Dean. The Omega; his bright green eyes and his soft plush lips, seemed to be on his mind constantly.

After the third night in a row that he had dreamt of being with Dean, Castiel decided that he just needed to get his mind off of the false mating and back on to something productive. It must make sense, after all, that all of the free time would be making him think differently. Think more of Dean, and less about the real world around him.

That was why Castiel found himself lying awake at five o’clock on Sunday morning, staring at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes. He had just woken from another dream about Dean, and this one had not been very enjoyable. Castiel closed his eyes, whimpering softly when an image of Dean kissing another Alpha flashed before his eyes.

The logical part of his brain knew that he was being ridiculous. Dean was not his Omega, and he had every right to kiss another Alpha if he wanted to. On top of that, it was just a dream- there was nothing real about anything he had seen. Still, he couldn’t help but growl at the thought of Dean kissing another Alpha besides him, and he felt his heart clench in pain at the mere idea of it.

“Fuck,” Cas groaned, rolling over and reaching for his phone. The screen was bright and Castiel grumbled as he squinted at his phone, which read that it was only 5:38 AM. He let out a heavy sigh and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow and trying to get back to sleep. Hopefully, he would be able to get some shut eye before his mom would wake him for breakfast…

When Castiel woke again it was nearly nine o’clock in the morning, sun streaming in through the curtains and blinding the Alpha. He growled and rolled over, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair. His head was already throbbing and he squeezed his eyes shit, groaning softly as he carded his fingers through his hair.

“Starting the day off with a headache, then…,” he mumbled, yawning and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His head spun as he stood and made his way to the bathroom, and he wished that he could just go back to bed. Alas it was already morning, and Cas felt too awake now to go back to bed.

He took a long shower and shuffled into the kitchen, happy to find that his mom was not home- _most likely at church_ , he thought. He grabbed a bottle of milk and an apple from the fridge, tucking both under his arm before shuffling back into his bedroom. As he plopped down on the bed he pulled out his phone, frowning when he saw a message from Gabriel, sent early in the morning.

**From: Gabriel  
11/12/15 | 8:11 AM**

_How you holding up lil bro? haven’t heard from u in a couple days_

Cas’s lips twitched slightly at his brother’s concern, and as he opened up the tab on the side of the milk carton and brought it to his lips. He took several long chugs before he put it between his legs and pressed a few buttons on his phone and pressed the _SEND_ button to call his brother Gabriel.

His cell only rang a few times before Gabriel picked up, his voice happy as he spoke into the phone.

“Hey, Cassie! I guess you got my text?”

“Yeah,” Castiel sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I’ve been so…off the radar lately. It’s been a long three weeks,”

“Yeah, I bet. Mom’s not riding you too hard, I hope?” Gabriel asked, and Cas could hear him moving around on the other end of the line, little clinking sounds and water running in the background. He figured that his brother must be at work already.

“No, she’s not being too bitchy,” Castiel answered, sighing heavily. “Although I’m not sure if that’s going to keep up for long. She keeps mentioning this… this Omega she wants to set me up with…”

“Oh God,” Gabriel snorted out a laugh, then fell quiet for a few moments. “Well, I mean, that can’t be too bad of a thing, can it? I know that _mom_ isn’t exactly the person you want picking out your mates, but… Don’t you think it’s about time you get over this false mating?”

“Gabriel,” Castiel sighed, exasperated. “I don’t… I don’t _want_ to date. I just want…,” he trailed off, the image from his dream of Dean kissing another Alpha popping back into his mind. He fought the urge to growl, shaking his head as he let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve been… I’ve been having these dreams, Gabe.”

“Really?” Gabriel asked, his tone laced with concern. “Like… Super sexy dreams or wake-up-screaming dreams?”

“Neither,” he let out a heavy sigh. “It’s just… Every night I dream of this Omega- his name is Dean- I… I feel like I’ve known him for all my life. I feel like I’ve got this connection to him…”

“Cassie, they’re just dreams,” Gabriel whispered, his tone serious. Cas snorted.

“I _know_ that, Gabe. I just…,”Cas whimpered pathetically as he felt tears brim his eyes. “He’s pregnant, in the dreams. Pregnant with my pups. And I just… I want to be with him. I want to hold him and… and mate with him,” Cas realized that he was crying when he tasted his own tears, and he wiped his eyes, sniffling loudly. “I just want all of this to end.”

He heard his brother let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the receiver. “Cas… Are you sure you don’t want to come stay with Kali and I? You could… You could get away from the city, maybe look for this Dean guy…”

“No, no, I-” Castiel felt like he was going to choke on his own tears, and he hiccupped, shaking his head. “I don’t want to find him. I just want to get over this false mating and be done with this Omega. I never want to think about him again but… But every time I close my eyes, he’s there,” Cas whimpered loudly and looked down at his bedspread. “I just wish I would die already.”

“Cassie…”

“It’s fine, Gabriel. I’m fine. I’ll just…”

“Maybe you should see somebody,” Gabriel cut in, clearing his throat. “About these dreams. If you’re really that upset over them, I mean. I just…,” he let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the receiver, and Cas could tell that he was trying to articulate himself. “When you talk like that- that you want to die- it just makes me worry. The doctor said this false mating could have bad psychological effects… And I just don’t want to lose another sibling like that. You know?”

Castiel felt his voice catch in his throat, and he was silent for a moment before he spoke. “Yeah, Gabe. I understand.”

“Good. You know I love you, right? And Hannah loves you too.”

Castiel made an odd noise in the back of his throat, and a noise that sounded like muffled crying made its way through the speakers. “I love you too,” he said quietly. “I’ve- uh- I’ve got to go, though. Say hi to Kali for me,” he said, then hung up with a click. Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, staring at his phone for a minute before he growled and flung it across the room. No sooner had he thrown it then did it light up again with an incoming call. Gabriel cursed, stomping over to his phone and pressing the _SEND_ button.

“Yeah?” He huffed into the receiver. He heard his mate’s voice on the other end snapping right back at him.

“Well, hello to you too. What’s got you in a tizzy?”

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, carding his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, baby. It’s just my brother. He’s all… Ugh,” he rolled his eyes and banged his fist against the wall, staring down at his feet. “He’s getting worse.”

“Worse?” Kali sounded concerned over the phone. “Is he going to have to go back into the hospital?”

“No. I mean, I don’t know,” he sighed, his exhale trailing off on a whimper. “I’m just worried about him, Kal. I’ll call Hannah later and see if she can check on him, but I just…” he trailed off, scowling to himself. Kali made a clicking sound with her tongue against her teeth.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel. But you know he’ll be alright, don’t you? Even if we have to fly out to Chicago ourselves and nurse him back to health, he’s going to be okay.”

Gabriel groaned. “See, that’s the thing, Kali. I don’t know if he’s gonna be okay. I mean, Cas is a tough cookie; he puts up a good fight and a good show, but I can tell that he’s falling apart on the inside. He…,” Gabriel trailed off, at an apparent loss for words. Kali pursed her lips.

“What is it, Gabe?”

“He said he’s been having these vivid dreams about some Omega, and I’m just worried that he’ll start getting them confused with reality. The dreams, I mean,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid, or something, but I just… I don’t want to lose another sibling, Kal, and I don’t want to… I don’t…”

“Hey, hey, take a deep breath,” Kali said calmly, frowning. “What are you talking about, ‘losing another sibling’? Did Cas say he’s going to kill himself or something?”

“He said he wants to die,” Gabriel breathed. Kali’s mouth dropped open and she brought her hand up to cover her lips, looking up just in time to see her next customer, Dean Winchester, walk through the doors. She bit her lips.

“Alright, baby, it’s gonna be okay. I have to go now, since my next client just walked in, but everything is going to be fine. Why don’t you call Hannah and see if you can work something out with her?” 

“Yeah, yeah… I’ll all Han…”

“Okay, good. Now I love you, but I really have to go. Everything is going to be fine, Gabe. I promise.”

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh, though it sounded more like a whimper, and conceded to her. “Yeah, yeah I know it is. I love you,” he said, then quickly hung up. Kali stuffed her phone back into her pocket, offering Dean a superficial smile and gesturing towards the sink.

“Dean, long time no see,” she said with a smile. Dean smiled back at her, shrugging his leather jacket off and setting it down on a nearby chair. As he did so he revealed his stomach, which had started to grow larger over the past couple of weeks. Kali’s eyes widened. “Oh, I see you’ve been busy.”

Dean chuckled and shrugged. “I guess you could say that,” he muttered, placing a hand over his stomach. Upon seeing the questioning look on Kali’s face he blushed, biting his lips. “I’m about six weeks along.”

Kali smiled. “Yeah, well, I have to say that pregnancy suits you,” she said kindly. Dean rolled his eyes and Kali laughed, slinging an arm over his shoulder and leading him to the sink. “The usual?”

“Sure thing,” Dean said, sitting down and kicking his seat back, so that his hair could get wet from the sink. She immediately began to wash through his hair, scrubbing at his scalp. The Omega sighed, allowing himself to relax under the warm water. “My hair’s been growing like crazy lately. My brother says it’s because of the pregnancy, but I don’t think he’s right.”

“Sure he is. I’ve read that before,” she said, pumping some shampoo into her palm and rubbing her hands together. She began to stroke Dean’s hair back from his face, scrubbing at his head and then rinsing the suds away. Dean hummed thoughtfully at his hairdresser’s words, sitting up once Kali turned the water off and draped a towel over his head and neck.

“So what’s up? You looked kind of upset when I came in,” Dean asked as he was led to Kali’ss chair, where he plopped down. She let out a heavy sigh as he picked up her comb, removing the towel from the Omega’s head as she began to brush his hair back from his face.

“It’s just my brother in law. You know, he met this Omega a little while ago, while he was visiting Gabriel and I, and the guy messed him all up. They spent one night together and now his body’s gone into this kind of shock. I don’t know too much about it, but from what Gabriel has told me, it’s pretty bad.” She sighed, picking up her scissors and beginning to snip away at Dean’s hair. “Poor kid. You know, he never lets loose and the one time he does, he gets hit in the face with this false mating shit.”

“That’s rough,” Dean frowned. “Is this the same ‘Omega right’s activist’ brother in law you told me about?”

Kali chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is. Although right now I can’t imagine he’s very pro-Omega at all. The kid’s really suffering,” she sighed and shook her head, turning Dean’s face to the side a little bit and snipping away. 

“Yeah, I can only imagine. Aren’t false matings really rare? I’ve only ever heard of them once or twice before,” he said. Kali shrugged.

“I guess. I’m not really sure what a false mating even is, to be honest,” she sighed and pursed her lips. “But now I guess he’s having these dreams where he sees this Omega and talks to him and stuff. Pretty odd if you ask me.”

Dean’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Seriously?” He asked, and Kali nodded. Dean puffed out his cheeks and let out a little huff of air. “That must be really rough for him.”

“Mmhmm,” Kali clicked her tongue against her teeth, setting the scissors down and picking up the electric razor. “Number 2 blade?”

“Sounds good.”

“Cool,” she said, turning the buzzer on. She hummed as she began to drag it across Dean’s scalp, pursing her lips. “So, how are things going for you?”

Dean let out a heavy sigh. “My brother’s girlfriend… Ruby… she’s really weird,” he frowned as he spoke. “And her scent makes me sick, too.”

“That’s awkward,” Kali said, chuckling. “Is she nice at least?”

“Not really. She’s kinda bitchy, and sexist too,” he frowned, placing his hands over his stomach. “And Sammy… I don’t know. He acts different around her.”

She hummed softly. “Does he love her?”

“I don’t know,” Dean let out a heavy sigh, a tired expression crossing his face. “I don’t know, man.”

\---

“What’s up with you today?” Charlie asked, leaning forward and bracing her elbows against the small round table between herself and Dean. She sipped at her coffee slowly, peering at Dean curiously. “You smell… off.”

“I feel off,” Dean sighed, slumping back in his chair and looking around the small coffee shop they were in. Then he glanced back down at the table, an untouched plate of pecan pie sitting in front of him. He was hungry, sure, but the sight of it was making him feel nauseous today.

“Morning sickness or something?” Charlie asked. Dean shrugged.

“Nah, but that’s been a bitch, too. I tell you, if I had a dime for every time I’ve puked my guts out lately then I’d be a millionaire two times over,” he sighed, shaking his head and playing with his fork. “My doctor says it’s worse than usual for me, too, since I don’t have an Alpha.”

Charlie frowned and took another sip of his coffee, giving Dean a concerned look. He sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. There were still little slivers of hair all over the back of his neck and his collar from his haircut, and they were itching him like hell.

“Don’t look at me like that, Charlie. What’s wrong is… I don’t know. I just feel a little lonely, but not in some stupid girly way. I don’t know. It’s like I’ve got nobody and…. Well I know I’m not alone but that’s what I feel like.”

“You’re not alone, Dean—”

“I know I’m not. I know. But Sam is acting weird lately, and he’s got his new girlfriend and most nights I just... sit around and do nothing. I just stare at the wall, literally. I feel like crap all the time these days, and I feel like I’m missing something. Something big, and I don’t know what. It’s a horrible feeling, Charlie.”

The Alpha bit her lips, then carefully reached out and placed her hand over Dean’s. Dean jerked, looking up at her tentatively as she smiled softly at him.

“It’s okay, Dean. And you should know that if you ever feel like that, you should just give me a call and you can be sure that I’ll come right over and sit with you, even if all you want to do is stare at the wall,” she smiled and Dean laughed, ducking his head. “You are not alone in this, okay?”

Dean nodded. “I know that, Charlie. Sometimes I just feel like there isn’t any happiness out there for me, anywhere, you know?”

Charlie licked her lips. “Maybe that’s because the biggest source of happiness in your life isn’t out there- it’s already inside you.”

Dean grinned, placing a hand on his stomach. “Maybe you’re right.”

\---

“Shit,” Dean breathed, sitting forward in the exam chair as far as he could, trying to get a closer look at the sonogram. He blushed and cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… I was just surprised. I mean, they’re already so…,” he trailed off, unsure of how to describe what he was feeling at the moment. Tessa smiled, pressing a little button so that she could print the sonogram out for Dean.

“Lively?” She supplied. Dean smiled and nodded, looking down at his swollen belly and pressing his fingers to his side. At twelve weeks he was starting to show, and his scent was now much more potent than it had been before. He’d already received a few nasty comments about his single parenthood from parents (and a few more innocent ones from curious seven year olds), but so far his pregnancy had been quite manageable.

“Yeah,” Dean smiled and took the print out from her as well as a Kleenex, so that he could wipe the cool, sticky ultrasound gel off of his stomach. He looked down at the picture, where two out of three of his pups could be seen with their fingers in their mouths. They were only twelve weeks old, and they were already sucking their thumbs. Dean couldn’t believe how real they were becoming, what with these new pictures as well as his protruding stomach. It was absolutely insane to Dean that only two months ago, he had been considering having an abortion.

The Omega didn’t realize he was crying until he felt the doctor’s hand on his shoulder her thumb stroking back and forth over the skin of his bicep. 

“It’s okay, sweetie. Do you want some water?” She asked. Dean sniffled and nodded, his cheeks turning red as he batted the tears away from his eyes. The doctor walked over to the sink and began to fill a paper cup with tap water. “I know this can be an emotional time for Omegas- I’ve got three siblings who have all gone through pregnancies. Trust me, with all those hormones surging, it can get emotional pretty fast. But that’s okay- I mean, it’s only natural.”

Dean hiccupped, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes. “No, Doc, it’s not that… It’s just…,” he swallowed, staring at his lap. “I wanted to get rid of them,” he whispered. “I wanted to get an abortion, that first day I came in here. And now—” He stopped, tears filling his eyes again as he looked down at the ultrasound in his hand. Three pups, all sleeping soundly inside of his stomach. Three little pups that were a part of him, his creation, and he had wanted to kill them. Why would he ever want that? What type of heartless person would want that?

“Oh, Dean,” The doctor frowned, stepping closer and placing her hand over his. He clenched it into a first, though, still looking away from her. “You know that this can be a difficult time for any Omega. Things are changing in your body and your brain… and especially because you and the Alpha father aren’t together, it’s only natural to be scared. An abortion… many Omegas in your position would have considered it a viable option. That doesn’t…,” she sighed, scratching the back of her neck. “It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. Just that you’re human,” she waited for a response form Dean, sighing heavily when he didn’t respond. She patted him on the knee, giving his leg a squeeze. “Either way, you didn’t choose to get an abortion, Dean. You chose to keep your pups, and I can already tell that you’re going to be a wonderful father. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Dean scrunched up his nose and nodded, still not looking at the doctor. She released his leg, walking over to the computer and punching in a few notes in to Dean’s file, then turning back to her patient. “Alright then, Dean. You’re free to go.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, sliding out of the exam chair and standing up. He fixed his shirt, pulling out down over his bump so that it stretched tight over his stomach. He made a mental note to himself that he would need to go shopping for new clothes soon, especially with the rate that his stomach was growing. As he walked to the door of the exam room he stopped, turning to look back at his doctor. He cleared his throat. “And, uh, thanks for the… advice, I guess,” he scratched back of his neck. “You didn’t have to say those things, but you did. You’re a nice Alpha, doc.”

Tessa turned back to Dean, flashing him a bright smile. “Thank you, Dean. And I meant what I said- you’re going to be a terrific father.”

\---

Dean reached up and grabbed some papers from his mailbox at work, leaning against the shelf as he sifted through the flyers and notices in his hands. He also reached up and took down Charlie’s mail for her, as she had just texting him that she was running late. Most of the papers were just flyers that needed to be run off and sent home with the kids, and Dean was just about to head to his and Lisa’s classroom when one of the fourth grade teachers, a male Omega named Gordon, bumped into him quite forcefully.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there, _knotslut_ ,” he said quietly, so that only Dean could hear. Dean growled at him, puffing his chest out and tilting his chin up. Gordon had always been a bit of a jerk, but now that Dean was pregnant, he had noticed the other Omega was behaving much more hostilely towards him. The worst part of it all, though, was that Gordon was a little taller than him, so the action of puffing out his chest really only served to make Dean look smaller in retrospect. Gordon’s lips curled up into a smirk and he turned so that he was chest to chest with Dean. “Is there a problem, Winchester?”

“I don’t know, Walker. You tell me,” he spat, his voice little more than a snarl. The smell of angry Omega filled the air in the room, and it was only a matter of seconds before the entire office was staring at the encounter between the two Omegas. Gordon seemed to become aware of this, and he quickly hunched his shoulders to make himself look smaller, stepping away from Dean and raising his hands up in front of his chest.

“Look, man, I didn’t do anything. You’ve gotta chill out,” he started. Dean narrowed his eyes, about to retort when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and then Lisa was standing there.

“Dean, just take a deep breath, okay? You should really try to stay calm…,” she said. Dean furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth falling open.

“I… What? I am calm! He just came over here and slammed into me for no reason-”

“That was an accident, though,” Gordon whispered, appearing to be genuinely intimidated when Dean turned to glare at him. In that moment, it was impossible for Dean to hold back the growl that rumbled from his throat. And in response, Gordon freaking _whimpered_.

“You’re a liar!” Dean yelled. Even though he hadn’t moved at all, Lisa’s grip on his arm tightened, and a few moments later the principal arrived in the office, her hands crossed over her chest.

“Mr. Winchester, Mr. Gordon, what is the meaning of this commotion?” The principal, an Alpha named Abbadon asked. Lisa cleared her throat.

“Just a small confrontation between Dean and Gordon, ma’am. I don’t think it’s anything too serious, though…”

Abbadon scowled, turning her head sharply to look at Dean. She didn’t even seem to consider that Gordon may have been a suspect in causing the problem; all she saw was Dean. An unmated, pregnant and defenseless Omega who was causing trouble. Her eyes flickered down to his swollen belly for a moment and she tilted her head up, seeming to scent the air before speaking.

“Mr. Winchester, I’d like to see you in my office,” she said. Dean’s cheeks grew red and he nodded, feeling his stomach twist. He clenched the papers in his hand tightly and he pulled away from Lisa, who let out a heavy sigh and walked away. Gordon shifted on his feet, looking around the office.

“I should get to my class, then,” He said. He turned to leave, smirking at Dean as he left. The Omega felt rage building up inside of him, and he dug his fingernails into his flesh. Once Gordon had left Dean huffed out a heavy sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets and dragging his feet to Abbadon’s office. He knocked softly before opening the door, ducking his head submissively as he entered the office. Of course, Dean wasn’t usually one to submit to Alphas so easily, but Abbadon was his boss, and she was an Alpha. An Alpha in particular whom Dean had found gave off some very intimidating, overpowering pheromones when she wanted something done her way. 

“Mr. Winchester.”

“Yes, ma’am?” He spoke quietly, not daring raise his eyes to the Alpha. He heard her tongue click against her teeth as she let out a heavy sigh, gesturing towards the chair in front of her desk.

“Do take a seat, Mr. Winchester. I think it’s time that you and I had a little chat,” she said. Dean frowned slightly at her words but was quick to obey, and he sat down in the soft chair. He still kept his eyes on his lap, though, as Abbadon began to speak.

“There are some things that are appropriate for the workplace, and there are some things that are not, Mr. Winchester. I’m actually quite glad that this incident between you and Mr. Walker occurred, because it has given me the opportunity to speak with you. Now, Mr. Winchester, I’m not sure if you’re aware that I’ve been receiving complaints from some parents and other staff about-”

“Complaints?” Dean’s head shot up and he looked up at Abbadon with wide eyes. This seemed to be a mistake, though, as she glared angrily at him and cleared her throat.

“ _Yes_ , Mr. Winchester, complaints,” she snapped, obviously annoyed that he had interrupted her mid-sentence. “Some of the parents seem to be concerned that you will teach their children bad values. I can’t say that I disagree with them, considering the display that I just witnessed in the office,” she said. Dean opened his mouth to retort, but Abbadon continued right on. “Mr. Winchester, I understand that Omega pregnancy can be a… _difficult time_ for some people, to say the least. But I think it would do you wise to keep your raging hormones out of the workplace, at least until you go on maternity leave.”

Dean’s jaw clenched and ground his teeth together, a nasty response to Abbadon’s debasing words on the tip of his tongue. Who did she think she was, blaming Dean’s behavior on his hormones? She had just used his pregnancy and his sex as an excuse to dismiss any of his authority as a person and school official. It was degrading, is what it was, and Dean was about to say so when Abbadon let out a heavy sigh and gave him a rather patronizing look.

“Perhaps you should take the day off to calm down. A vacation day, we’ll call it. After all, we wouldn’t want the second grade classrooms smelling like angry, pregnant Omega, now would we?” She chuckled, but it was mirthless, and Dean found himself forcing a smile onto his face.

“Right,” he ground out hoarsely. Abbadon smiled, gummy and fake, standing up and reaching out to shake Dean’s hand.

“I’m glad that we had this talk, Mr. Winchester,” she said as she gripped his hand, shaking his arm roughly. “I will, of course, have to file an incident report concerning that little debacle in the office earlier. It will have to go into your permanent record, but I’m sure you understand,” she smiled tightly. Dean’s nostrils flared angrily but he nodded, giving Abbadon’s hand one last squeeze.

“Sure,” he released her hand, turning and storming from the office. Just as he walked back through the main office Charlie entered, a coffee in each hand and a bright smile on her face. She grinned when she saw Dean, reaching out to hand him one of the coffees.

“I got you some hot chocolate, extra whipped cream-”

“Maybe later,” Dean mumbled, trudging past her and grabbing his coat off of the coat rack as he stormed out of the office and down the hallway, towards the main entrance. Charlie was left staring in confusion after him, until one of the other secretaries huffed out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.

“Omegas, am I right?” He mumbled. The glare that Charlie shot at him could have burned his eyes out.

\---

Dean’s knuckles were white where they were wrapped around the steering wheel of his Impala, music blasting as he pressed down on the gas. He was currently speeding down the highway, taking a drive just to clear his thoughts. After all, that’s what _vacation_ days were for, after all? He growled under his breath as Abbadon’s words rung in his ears, and he pressed harder on the gas.

A horn blared somewhere behind him and Dean snapped out of it, becoming aware of his surroundings. He slowed down, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back against the driver’s seat. He really needed to get a grip on himself, he realized, or else he could endanger himself and his pups.

 _His pups_ , Dean though, tears welling up in his eyes. They were the cause for all of this, after all. If Dean hadn’t been so stupid and gone and gotten himself knocked up by some strange Alpha, then none of this would be happening right now. If he had never even conceived them in the first place, then—

Dean stopped his train of thought right there, recognizing it as the dangerous one that it was. He had already talked about this in his conversation with Tessa the other day, and he knew that the doctor was right. Keeping his pups was the right thing to do, and that was a fact. _The triplets were a blessing, not a mistake_ , he reminded himself. Something so amazing could never be a mistake.

And although Dean resolved himself to believe exactly that, it was impossible to get rid of the dreadful feeling that was growing in the pit of his stomach. That lonely feeling was creeping back, crawling under his skin and making him feel as if he would never be happy again. Tears stung his eyes and he batted them away, drawing in a shaky breath and squeezing the wheel.

“I’m not alone, I’m not…” he mumbled to himself, though his words trailed off in a whimper. Tears ran down his face, his lips trembling as his mind began to race. He could just picture himself now: homeless, all alone, his babies taken away from him. People who spit on him, would call him a whore because he had gotten knocked up and wasn’t even good enough to get a mate.

His mind traveled to thoughts of Castiel, and then he was really crying, so hard that he had to pull over for fear of crashing his car. He whimpered and hugged his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut as memories of Castiel flooded his mind. He imagined the Alpha holding him and kissing him, wherever he was, and then imagined him kissing some other Omega; giving that Omega his knot and his mark. He thought back to the night they had spent together; to the way he had touched him; the way he had bit his neck. He reached up and touched the back of his neck, wishing that Castiel’s bite had been a mating mark and not just a careless love bite.

It took Dean a few minutes to calm himself down and stop crying, but it didn’t help the fact that he still felt terrible. Everyone these days seemed to be against him, even his own brother. He wondered when all of the hatred would stop, but he knew the answer to that question the moment it popped into his mind. The hatred would never stop— not unless he found a mate. And who on earth would want to mate with him?

Dean wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. Sam would be at college, since it was almost ten in the morning, and Charlie was, of course, at work. She had told him earlier that he could call her at any time that he was feeling like this, but he also knew that he had to be realistic. She was just being nice- she pitied him- and didn’t really want to help him. She was working, anyway, and wouldn’t want to be disturbed.

Dean found himself pulling into the parking lot of The Roadhouse half an hour later. It was barely lunch time, but Dean didn’t know where else to go. So he parked his car and made his way to the door of the bar, gripping the lapels of his thin jacket as he ducked into the restaurant. It was amazingly warm inside, compared to the brisk cold outside, and Dean immediately felt himself relaxing as he made his way to one of the tables.

An older Beta waitress approached him after a few long minutes, smiling brightly as she handed him a menu and whipped out her notepad. “What can I get you today, sugar?”

Dean smiled softly at her, looking down at the menu and humming softly. He pointed down at it, clicking his tongue against his teeth before speaking.

“I guess I’ll have an order of hot wings… And some nachos with extra cheese sound good, too,” he paused, frowning slightly before finally speaking. “And I’ll have a burger, too. Medium rare, pickle on the side,” he smiled, folding up his menu and handing it back to her. She smiled, looking down at his swollen belly.

“How many are you eatin’ for?” She asked kindly, hands on her hips. Dean couldn’t help but blush a little, placing a hand on his stomach.

“There are three of them,” he smiled, rubbing a hand over his stomach. The waitress grinned.

“Aw,” she smiled, reaching out and knocking him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, sweetheart. I’ll have your food out in a jiffy, now,” she said, taking a step away. Dean cleared his throat.

“Oh, is Benny here?” He asked. The waitress nodded.

“You want me to get him for you?”

“Yes please,” he smiled at her and she nodded, turning and bustling off towards the kitchen. Dean looked around the bar, then, noticing that the place was pretty much empty. Aside from one table where two old alcoholics were sitting sharing drinks, the place was deserted.

A few moments later Benny emerged from the kitchen, smiling broadly when he saw Dean. Dean stood up from his booth as he approached and Benny grinned, looking Dean up and down before enveloping him in a big hug.

“Hey there, sweet Omega. You sure as a sight for sore eyes,” he laughed, pulling back and looking down at Dean’s stomach. He rested a hand on the bump, and though it felt a little odd to have someone else touching his stomach, he allowed the Alpha to do so. “How’s the little munchkin?”

“Munchkin _s_ ,” Dean couldn’t help but find himself smiling. “I’m carrying triplets,” he said, watching Benny’s face light up at the words. He wrapped his arms around Dean again, squeezing him roughly.

“Aw, Dean, congratulations,” he gasped. Dean let out a squeak in response, curling his fingers into the fabric of benny’s shirt and pressing close to him. It wasn’t every day that he got to be so close to an Alpha- let alone _Benny_ , whom he’d had a crush on since he met him nearly five years ago- and he was going to savor the moment. He pressed his nose into Benny’s neck, inhaling the Alpha’s spicy scent.

“Come on, let’s sit,” Benny finally said, pulling away from the Omega and gesturing for him to take his seat. Dean nodded, plopping down in the booth across from Benny. Benny smiled at him fondly, leaning forward towards Dean as he gestured for his coworker to bring over two drinks for them.

“So, what brings you here so early in the day? I thought you would be at work with the kids.”

“I got sent home,” Dean said, rolling his eyes. Benny’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion and Dean sighed, looking away from the Alpha. He really didn’t feel comfortable unloading all of his problems onto the Alpha, but he knew that Benny was going to ask him anyway. He let out a heavy sigh, looking back up at his friend. “My asshole boss thought it would be best, so I don’t ‘stink up’ the place with my pregnancy hormones. But, uh… You know,” he shrugged, looking away.

Benny growled low in his throat, his fists clenching angrily at Dean’s words. Before he could speak the Beta waitress brought over two drinks for them; a beer for Benny and a glass of Coke for Dean. The Omega smiled and thanked her for the drink, and she blew him a kiss as she walked off. Dean turned back to Benny, who was obviously trying to hold back his anger at what Dean had said.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Dean said quickly, pointing a finger at Benny. The Alpha’s brow furrowed and he let out a heavy sigh, leaning back against his seat.

“It’s just bullshit, Dean. Andrea had to go through this sexist bullshit when she was… when she was pregnant, too. And that’s exactly what it is- bullshit.”

Dean huffed. “Yeah, and at least she _had_ a mate,” he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m just an unmated whore. Stupid enough to get knocked up without a mate and now I have to suffer the consequences.”

Benny was silent, a sad frown on his face. Dean let out a heavy sigh and stared down at the table, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He sighed and shook his head, tears filling his eyes once again. He quickly batted them away, cursing himself for being so emotional.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna get through this without a mate. And that’s just even more pathetic- that I feel like I _need_ a mate. I’ve never been that kind of Omega but now…Now I just feel so lonely _all the time_ It’s like I’m some sort of… Some sort of weak, sniveling fucking Omega,” he sighed, falling silent and looking down at his lap. A few moments of silence passed and then the waitress returned, setting down three heaping plates full of food. Benny thanked her this time rather than Dean, pushing the food towards the Omega and whispering to him.

“You know… You could be my mate,” he suggested quietly. Dean’s eyes widened and his head shot up, an almost terrified expression on his face.

“W-what?” He stuttered. Benny bit his lips nervously.

“Or, I mean… I don’t know. Only if you wanted to.”

“Benny, I don’t…,” he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “I don’t want to make you feel trapped or anything. I wasn’t telling you how I felt so that you would offer to mate with me…”

Benny shrugged. “It’s not that, Dean. I don’t know- I’ve been thinking about mating for a while. Not with you, of course, but after Andrea…,” he sighed, looking over towards the bar. “I just feel like it’s time for me to move on from her. And you- I know you. And I like you. You’re strong and you’re sweet and you simply smell like heaven,” he smiled over at Dean. “And you need an Alpha. It sort of works out perfectly.”

Dean swallowed, leaning forward a bit and reaching out to touch Benny’s hand. “How about we just start with a date and see how it goes?” He asked. Benny smiled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the Omega’s forehead.

“I’m definitely okay with that, Cher.”

\---

Sam sagged against the couch, inhaling deeply against Ruby’s throat, letting the smell of cinnamon and stale cigarettes surround him. Ruby turned, pressing a wet kiss to Sam’s jaw and lifting a joint up to his lips. Sam inhaled lazily, his eyelids fluttering shut as he pressed even closer to the beautiful Beta.

“Love you,” he slurred, his eyes closed as he nuzzled against her neck. Ruby smiled, carding her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek.

“You’re so sexy,” she purred, rubbing her hands back and forth over his pecs. He hummed, smiling a little and leaning in to the touch.

“So are you, baby. Never thought I could feel so good,” he moaned, turning so that he could pepper her neck in kisses. He slipped his hands under her shirt, smoothing his palms out over his flat belly and reaching up to grab at her tits. He started trailing kisses down towards her collar and she moaned, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She dropped her joint into the ashtray, reaching out with both hands to pull Sam closer.

“Fuck me hard, Sam,” she gasped. Sam moaned and nodded in agreement, kicking the coffee table to the side as he stood up from the couch. He reached down and grabbed Ruby, gripping two handfuls of her ass as he hoisted her up and carried her off to his bedroom.

By the time that Sam’s knot had gone down and their highs had faded a little bit, Sam looked over at the clock and realized that it was nearly four o’clock. Dean would be home soon, and he had played hooky from college all day. He groaned, rolling off of Ruby and shuffling to his feet. She pouted, reaching out to grab his wrist.

“Where are you going?” She whined. Sam leaned down to kiss her as he replied.

“Gotta go clean up before my brother gets home. You wanna stay for dinner?” He asked. Ruby shrugged, sitting up and letting the blanket fall from her chest, exposing her breasts to the cold air.

“Sure, why not. Your brother may be promiscuous, but he does make a mean burger,” she grinned at Sam and slipped out of his bed, leaning down and picking up their clothes. She threw on one of his shirts, then tugged on her pants from earlier. Sam frowned at her for a moment before he sighed softly, turning and leaving the room.

The apartment didn’t smell so much like weed anymore, as the joint had burned out hours before. Sam picked the ashtray up off of the coffee table and dumped it into the garbage, pulling out some air freshener and spraying it for good measure. A few minutes later Ruby joined him in the living room, and they would up making out on the couch.

They were still going at it when Dean walked in, and he scowled, throwing his coat at them. “Gross, guys. You’re in the presence of children,” he said, placing a hand on his stomach. Sam rolled his eyes and Ruby huffed as she slid out of Sam’s laps.

“As if they’re actually sentient beings. They’re not even human at this point,” she said. Dean frowned, anger bubbling up in his chest.

“That’s not true. I’ll actually have you know- I felt a kick today,” he smiled proudly, rubbing his stomach. Sam smiled, sitting up and looking brightly at his brother as Ruby rolled her eyes again.

“Yeah? Thirteen weeks is early for a first quickening,” he said, standing up and reaching out for Dean’s stomach. Dean shrugged, continuing to smile baordly.

“I guess. But I called the doctor and she said it’s actually pretty common, so-”

“You called your doctor over a little kick?” Ruby asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “How do you know it wasn’t just a bowel movement or something?”

Dean scowled, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping away from Sam as he glared at Ruby. “What are you even doing here? Last time I checked you don’t live here,”

“Sammy invited me for dinner,” she smiled a gummy grin, looking up at the Alpha. Sam flashed her an awkward smile, then turned to look back at Dean.

“If that’s okay with you?” He asked. Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes, walking off towards the kitchen.

“I’m not gonna be the villain here, Sam,” he grumbled, moving around the kitchen and banging pots and pans as he set up the stove to make dinner. He was feeling in the mood for baked ziti all of a sudden, and he knew that Sam wouldn’t have any complaints. Ruby might have been another story, but he really couldn’t bring himself to care. He called back to his brother form the kitchen. “Also, dude, why does it smell like a skunk died in our apartment?”

“I don’t know,” Sam called back after a few moments. “I think someone ran one over outside, and the window was open earlier.”

“Hmm,” Dean was quiet as he navigated his way around the kitchen. His stomach grumbled loudly and he placed a hand on his belly, rubbing back and forth. He though he felt a shift beneath his palm, but it very well may have been his imagination. Either way he smiled to himself, patting his stomach.

“I hear ya, babies. Dinner’s on the way.”

“Talking to them? Really?” Ruby was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Dean quickly let his hand fall to his side and glared at her as she stepped forward, walking over to the fridge.

“Mind your own business, Ruby. This is still my house,” he all but growled. Ruby chuckled.

“Getting feisty, aren’t we?” She smiled cheekily and stepped closer to Dean, scenting the air. “Ooh, you smell like _Alpha_. Having a roll in the hay with one of your coworkers, maybe?”

Dean’s eyes narrowed at the Beta and he turned away, grumbling something unintelligible under his breath. Ruby laughed and turned back to the fridge, pulling out two beers. Just then Sam walked in, and he smiled at his girlfriend as he took the drink from her hands.

“What’re you guys talking about?” He asked as he leaned against the counter, pulling Ruby into his side. Ruby shrugged.

“Just talking about your brother’s love life,” she sing-songed. Dean growled at her as Sam’s eyes widened.

“Love life? You’re dating again?”

“Drop it, Sam,” he hissed, turning the burner up on the stove to begin boiling water. Then he spun around, pointing a finger at Sam’s chest. “My dating life is none of your business.”

Sam put his hands up in defeat, a small smile still on his face. “Hey, it’s your life, right? Just tell me- is it an Alpha? Beta? Another Omega, maybe?”

“Oh, are you one of those _pansexual_ fellows?” Ruby asked, smirking. Dean glared at her.

“Bisexual, actually,” he spat out. “I actually find the smell of Betas quite repulsive.”

Ruby scoffed, placing a hand on her heart as if she were wounded. “Your words- they wound me,” she said sarcastically. Sam looked down at her, frowning.

“Knock it off for a minute, babe,” he said, then looked over at Dean. “You really met someone?”

Dean huffed, turning back to the stove and picking up a box of macaroni from the cabinet. “I’ve known him for a while, actually. He came over here to help when we first moved in,” he said, pursing his lips thoughtfully as he ripped the box open and dumped its contents into the boiling pot. “You remember Benny?”

Sam’s mouth dropped open. “Benny? That super hot Alpha that’s been flirting with you nonstop since the day you met him?”

“Uh…”

“Oh, come on, Dean! Don’t act lime you never noticed,” Sam grinned. Dean blushed a little and looked away, stirring the pot on the stove. Ruby snorted out a laugh.

“Wow, if even Sam noticed he was flirting with you, you must be really clueless,” she chuckled. “No wonder you forgot to use suppressants.”

Dean snarled at that, turning towards Ruby and stepping forward. She seemed surprise by his advance but nonetheless took on a defensive posture. Sam leapt in between them before anything could happen, thankfully, gripping Dean by the shoulders.

“Hey, bro, calm down,” he said softly, then turned to look at Ruby. He spoke as gently as he could to her, though there was some Alpha authority in his tone. “Maybe you should go home, after all.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she mumbled, pushing off of the counter and walking off towards the living room. Once she had her coat and her purse she popped her head back in to the kitchen, fluttering her eyelashes in Sam’s direction. “Call me when you’re ready to quit your posturing.”

Dean growled again at her words, but she was gone before anything else could happen. As they heard the apartment door close Sam turned back to Dean, squeezing his shoulder.

“Dean, I’m sorry-”

The Omega shrugged his brother off, an unreadable expression on his face. “Whatever. Go set the table… Dinner will be ready soon,” he mumbled. There was little Sam could do but obey his brother’s command at this point, and he heaved one last heavy sigh as he left the kitchen, the stink of unhappy Omega following his nostrils all the way into the dining room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Coming Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ImCpNqbJw) by Diddy-Dirty Monkey

_“Feel ‘em kicking?” Dean whispered, his breath hot against Cas’s cheek. The Alpha purred, his fingers dancing over Dean’s swollen stomach as he felt little feet pressing up against his palm from inside Dean’s belly. He moved against the Omega, pressing wet kisses along his neck and smiling.  
“Yeah, I feel them.”_

_“Means they love you,” he breathed, reaching out to stroke his fingers through Castiel’s hair. The Alpha hummed and closed his eyes, leaning in closer so that he could scent at Dean’s neck. Warmth blossomed in the pit of his stomach and he nuzzled closer to the Omega, smiling happily._

_“I love them too,” he whispered, opening up his eyes to examine the smile on Dean’s face. He reached out, cupping the Omega’s cheek. “I love you,” he breathed. Dean hummed in response, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Cas’s in a searing kiss. The Alpha grunted, laying back and allowing the Omega to take control as he clambered up on top of him._

_“Alpha,” he purred, grinding down against Castiel’s hard cock. Cas growled, reaching out and finding Dean’s fingers with his hips. “Alpha, I need you,” he gasped. Castiel moaned and flexed his hips._

_“I’m here for you, baby,” he whispered. But then Dean snapped his head towards Cas, glaring at him with hooded eyes. He climbed off of him, leaving Castiel to whimper on his bed._

_“No, you aren’t,” he snarled, stepping away from the bed and towards the outstretched arms of a dark stranger. He nosed at the other man’s neck, huddling close to him. “I have a new Alpha now. I don’t need you.”_

Castiel awoke with a gasp, his cock hard against his leg and his heart pounding in his chest, his mother’s annoying voice in his ears.

“Castiel, wake up,” Naomi’s voice was harsh and it rang in Cas’s ears, rousing him from his sleep. He moaned, rolling away from the sound of her voice and pressing his face into his pillow.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled sleepily, huffing out a heavy sigh and letting his body relax against the mattress. “Five more with Dean.”

“Castiel, enough is enough,” Naomi snapped, and Cas could hear her heels click against the floor boards of his bedroom as she walked over to the window. She yanked the curtains open and light poured in, stinging against Castiel’s face. He whimpered and rolled over again, drawing the covers up over his head.

“ _Mo-om_ ,” he whined, his body shivering when she yanked the blankets off of his body. “Please,”

“Castiel, you haven’t left this room in  _five days_. The neighbors are starting to notice; they’re asking questions and honestly, I don’t even know what to tell them. Even you need to know that this isn’t healthy.”

Castiel growled, finally cracking his eyes open to glare at his mother. Typically bright blue eyes were rimmed with red and bloodshot, and Castiel blinked quickly as light flooded his vision. He flung an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the bright, invasive sun, scowling. Lowering his arm, he looked up at his mother and pursed his lips, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He was wearing only a pair of dirty boxer shorts, which he hadn’t changed in days (but then again, he hadn’t gotten out of bed in days either).

“What do you want me for, Mom?” He snapped. He didn’t care that he was being rude to his mother. He had been in the middle of a wonderful dream about Dean- the Omega had let him touch his pregnant belly and he had even felt the pups kicking against his palm- and he had not wanted to be woken up.

“I want you to get out of bed, Castiel,” she said, a frown on her face. Castiel thought she almost sounded concerned. “You’ve done nothing but sleep practically all week. Both your brother and your sister are concerned about you, and frankly, so am I. I think you really need to go see a doctor, Cas.”

“I have my medicine,” Castiel said, squinting at his mother and leaning over to open up his bedside table drawer and pull out a bottle of  _ExCaligo_. He shook the pills, but his mother shook her head.

“I meant a psychologist, Castiel.”

“No,” Cas responded, his jaw clenching as he finally slid out of bed. His tired joints cracked as he stood up and stretched, and he made his way over to the dresser, rummaging through it for something to wear. He heard his mother huff somewhere behind him, obviously preparing to argue. In order to stop her before she started, he turned, blinking innocently at her. “Now could I have some privacy? I need to get cleaned up and dressed.”

Naomi scoffed for a moment before she went to the door. “Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. Make sure you shave; you look like a grizzly bear.”

At that Castiel let out an exaggerated growl, smirking when his mother rolled her eyes and stormed out of the bedroom. He smiled slyly to himself, grabbing a towel and some clothes and padding into the bathroom across the hall. Although he hated to admit it, he guessed that his mother did have a point about him needing to get up and take a shower, maybe even walk around a little. Either way, if the smell of his armpits was anything to go by, he really did need to take a bath.

Once inside the shower stall he let the hot water cascade down his back and over his skin. Curls of thick steam surrounded him and he sighed, closing his eyes as he scrubbed his hair with shampoo. He let his thoughts wander back to the dream he had been having that morning; to the taste of Dean’s skin when he kissed him; the flush of his cheeks when he had told him he loved him.

Castiel felt his heart ache when he opened his eyes up again and found himself staring at the pale pink tile of his mother’s shower. He suddenly felt so out of place in his own life; in his own skin. He felt empty, and he wished for nothing more than to be in a different place, a different time; to be wrapped around Dean and to have him be his mate, and to be loved by him.

The rush of emotions that Castiel felt upon having those thoughts made him dizzy, and he leaned heavily against the wet tile wall. He felt short of breath, like he couldn’t breathe, and he didn’t even realize that his legs were giving out until he crashed against the shower door, chest heaving as he scrambled to his feet. He whined, doubling over himself and shivering violently despite the hot water showering down on him from above.

There was a knock on the bathroom door a moment later, and he heard his mother calling to him. “Castiel? Are you alright?”

His teeth chattered as he called back to her, “Y-Yeah, mom. I’m f-f-fine.” He grunted as he stood up, using the shower door handle and the faucet to help support him. He quickly turned off the water, stumbling out of the shower and grabbing his towel. He wrapped it around his waist, opened the door and came face to face with his mother. They both frowned at the sight of each other, and Naomi quickly took a step away from her son.

“Castiel-”

“I said I was fine,” he mumbled; even though he could feel a bruise forming on his ass and the back of his head where he had landed, he was fine for the most part. He trudged past his mother and back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He plopped down on his bed, still naked, and reached for his phone. The first thing that he saw was two text messages from his sister, then his brother, and then another from Zachariah Adler.

 **From: Zachariah Ass-ler** **  
** **11/30/15 | 9:09 AM**

 _Hello, Castiel. There is a situation here with the Harvelle Merger. Do you know when_ _we should expect_ _you back with us?”_

Castiel narrowed his eyes as he read the text message, a scowl forming on his face. If there really was an issue with the merger, Castiel had no doubt in his mind that Samandriel would have contacted him- in fact, his phone calls probably would have woken Castiel instead of his annoying mother. Cas sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He considered maybe taking the bait and responding to Zachariah, but then Castiel decided against it. He was on medical leave; if there really was an issue, the company would contact him. For now, somebody else could deal with Zachariah’s bullshit. Castiel just hoped that it wouldn’t be Samandriel- Zachariah had always been rather unkind to the Omega, and Cas had never been very pleased by that.

He swiped to close the message, moving on to read his sister’s messages.

 **From: Hannah** **  
** **11/29/15 | 10:12 PM**

_we haven’t heard from you in a few days. You alright?_

**From: Hannah** **  
** **11/30/15 | 9:45 AM** Just talked to mom, she said you haven’t gotten out of bed in days?? Plz call me

Castiel puffed out his cheeks and let out a tired sigh, fingers hovering over the keyboard of his cell phone. After a few moments deliberation he finally typed in his sister’s cell number. It rang about five times before it was finally picked up, but it was Inias’s voice he heard on the other end.

“Hey, Cas,” he paused for a moment. “Hannah’s out at the store; she left her phone at home accidentally. You want me to leave her a message?”

“Uh, no, that’s fine. How long is she going to be?”

“Probably five or ten minutes, at this point. She left like half an hour ago and the market is only like a block away,” he said easily. Cas hummed.

“I’ll just stay on the line and wait for her, if that’s alright with you?” He asked.

“Sure thing, Cas. She’s been real worried about you, you know,” he said, and Cas could hear shuffling on the other end of the line. “Her and I both.”

“Yeah, I…” Castiel trailed off after a moment, then cleared his throat. “I am really sorry about that. It’s just been extremely difficult lately,” he sighed, picking at the cloth on his towel. “But I doubt you want to hear about that. How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know…” Inias sighed on the other end. “I’m fine. Feeling kind of crappy right now, but other than that I’m great.”

“Oh, what’s wrong? Do you have morning sickness?” Castiel asked, not realizing what he had said until after he spoke. Hannah had told him that he wasn’t supposed to know about Inias’s pregnancy, and here he had gone and let the Omega know that he already knew about it.

There was dead air for a moment before Inias spoke again. “Morning…? You- Oh. I mean, I guess Hannah told you, then?”

Castiel cleared his throat. “Yes, she did. I apologize, I know it wasn’t-”

“No, no, it’s alright. You haven’t told anybody else, have you?”

“No, I haven’t,” Castiel promised, then continued speaking. “But now that we’re on the subject, how have you been feeling? You’re about four weeks along now, aren’t you?”

He could practically hear Inias smile. “Yes, four weeks is about right. And, quite honestly, I’m feeling terrific. Being pregnant is the best thing that’s ever happened to Hannah and I, you know?”

Castiel was silent for a moment, scratching at the skin of his bare leg before he cleared his throat. “I’m glad you two are so happy. You’ve been together for so many years, I’m blown away you didn’t get to cooking up some pups before now,” he said. Inias laughed loudly on the other end.

“I guess we just wanted to enjoy some time together alone, y’know?” He chuckled, then paused. “Oh, Hannah just pulled up outside. I’m gonna put you down for a minute, okay?”

“Sure,” Castiel said, tapping his fingers against his leg as he heard Inias set the phone down with a small  _clink_. He waited for almost two minutes, and was about to get up and put some clothes on when the phone was picked up, and his sister’s voice came through the receiver.

“Cassie, you’re alive!” she laughed breathlessly into the phone. Castiel smiled slightly, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yes, I guess I am. I… apologize for my radio silence this week. Things haven’t been the best lately considering this…,” he trailed off, huffing out a sigh and pinching at the bridge of his nose. “In regards to my false mating, I mean.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Hannah sighed, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “What are you doing right now?”

“Uh… Lying on my bed naked,” Cas mumbled. Hannah groaned.

“Ew, gross. TMI, dude.”

“I’ve got a towel around my waist!” Cas whined. Hannah snorted.

“Alright bro; why don’t you get dressed, and then you can call me back? Maybe we can meet up for lunch somewhere, if you’re up for it.”

Cas made an odd whining noise in the back of his throat, not in the mood to go out and be around people. In fact, the very idea of being around strangers and their scents made Castiel feel nauseous. He gagged, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his fingers up against his forehead. Hannah seemed to get the message though, and she quickly amended her statement.

“Or I could come pick you up and you can come have something to eat with Inias and I, at our apartment?”

“I would love to, Hannah. I’ll just… Um, what time do you want me to come over? I can probably get a taxi, so you don’t have to drive all the way across town to mom’s place.”

“Oh no, Cassie, it’s fine. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Castiel let out a small sigh. “Alright, Han, you win. I’ll let you pick me up. What time?”

“How’s three? I’ll start making dinner once I bring you back to the apartment.”

“That sounds great,” Cas smiled a little. “I love you, Han.”

“Love you too, little bro. See you later,” she said, and then she hung up. Castiel let out a heavy sigh, dropping his phone onto the mattress and standing up. He let the towel drop from his waist, picking up the clothes he had set aside earlier.  He shrugged his tee shirt on first, then pulled on a pair of underwear and wrestled into a pair of jeans.

A few minutes later Castiel wandered into his mother’s kitchen, tapping away at his phone and typing out a message to Gabriel to let him know he was sorry for going off the radar so suddenly. He sat down at the table, and shortly afterwards his mother was setting a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise; it was rare that Naomi ever cooked at all, let alone for someone else. He watched as his mother took a seat across from him, his eyes flickering over her face, searching for some sort of explanation for her sudden kindness.

Naomi smiled at her son, reaching out and placing her hand over his. His fingers twitched and he jerked his hand away quickly, to which Naomi sighed heavily and pushed her hair behind her ears.

“Castiel, honey…,” she started, clearing her throat. “I know it’s been a rough time for you lately, with this horrible false mating and everything. But frankly, I’m starting to worry about you. You sleep all day, every day… You can hardly stand to even be around other people,” she frowned. Castiel huffed and looked away, glaring at the coffee pot on the counter.

“Mom, if this is about what you said earlier about therapy, the answer is still no,” he growled.

“That’s not what I was talking about. I think you need to get out more,” she started, raising her voice a little when Castiel scoffed. “Staying inside all day and wallowing in your misery is not good for you. I’ve been reading about these false matings, Castiel, and if you keep this up do you know how sick you could get? You could die! And all over some silly Omega who you don’t even know.”

“Dean isn’t just some silly-”

“You don’t even know him, Castiel!” Naomi cried, cutting her son off mid-sentence. “He’s just some whore Omega who let you… Let you knot him, and now you can’t get him out of your system!” She snapped, pointing her finger at Castiel. “Well, I’ll tell you right now boy, I’m not going to let you kill yourself over some stupid Omega. You’re going to get over him, and I’m going to help you.”

“Help me?” Castiel sputtered, pushing his chair out from the table and standing up. “Since when do you ever help anybody?” He snarled. Naomi’s mouth dropped open and she gaped at her son from where she sat at the kitchen table.

“Since  _when_? Castiel, I’ve opened up my home to you! I’ve taken care of you! How dare you be so ungrateful,” she huffed, shaking her head. “Anyhow, no matter what you think, I’m not going to let you sleep your life away. I’ve arranged for you to go on a date.”

“A date?” Castiel’s mouth dropped open. His mother raised an eyebrow at him and he quickly closed his mouth, settling to fix her with a dark scowl.

“Yes, Castiel. That  _is_  how you should meet your mate, you know; not through some meaningless bar fling but through old fashioned dating and getting to know one another.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, flicking her hair behind her ear. “It’s a sad state you’re in, Castiel. Of all my children, I always thought that it would be Gabriel who I would need to guide through the mating process- never you. Of course, you have always been a bit awkward…”

Castiel growled low in his throat and Naomi looked up at him, raising a challenging brow to her son. He settled down again, though he continued to scowl.

“I don’t need to be ‘guided through the mating process’,” he snarled, lifting his hands to make air quotes as he spoke. Naomi rolled her eyes, and Castiel continued. “I can make my own decisions, Mom. I don’t need your help.”

“I know that that’s what you want, Castiel, and I wish it were the case as well. But the truth is that it just isn’t. You’re meeting with a nice Omega girl tomorrow night at Weber Grill Restaurant. Her name is Lilith Boecher. I expect you to treat this date with the utmost seriousness, and to show her a good time.”

Castiel’s mouth dropped open at his mother’s words. He had always known her to be a mean, meddling woman, but he had never expected this. Never expected for his mother to try and exploit him while he was ill just so that she could set him up on a date with an Omega. And not just any Omega- Lilith Boecher, daughter of David Boecher, CEO of Samsung. It was so obvious to him that his mother was just trying to pawn him off to the highest bidder, essentially, and he couldn’t help but growl loudly at her.

“No,” he snarled, turning around. “Hannah will be here at three to pick me up. Don’t bother me until she gets here,” he said, storming back to his room. Naomi scoffed, standing up and looking after him as he left.

“Castiel, you’re acting like a child!” She yelled after him. Castiel chose to ignore her, instead slamming his bedroom door shut after himself. The whole wall seemed to shake with the force of the door closing, and Castiel glared at the bookshelf in the corner as it shook violently. He launched himself onto the bed, roaring angrily into his pillow and biting down on it.

\---

“I don’t know.  I think that getting back into the dating game might actually be good for you,” Hannah said softly as she pulled into the driveway of her and Inias’s house, putting the car in park and turning to look at her brother, who was sitting in the passenger seat gaping at her.

“You do realize that she’s not doing this for my benefit, right?  This is all just a ruse for her to-”

“I know that, Cas,” Hannah interrupted him, a gentle look on her face.  She reached out, closing her fingers around her brother’s wrist and stroking her thumb over his skin.  The sensation irritated him; he felt his stomach flip and he jerked his hand away, looking away from his sister as she spoke.  “But are you really going to pass up the opportunity to go on a date with a beautiful, successful Omega just to spite our mother?  This could be a very good healing experience for you, little bro.”

Castiel grumbled darkly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window.  Hannah let out a heavy sigh, unbuckling herself from her car seat and opening up the door.  She turned back to him once she had exited the car, raising her eyebrows.

“Are you coming inside or what?” She asked, slinging her purse over her shoulder.  “Inias is making lasagna.”

Castiel pursed his lips, casting a sideways glance at Hannah through squinted eyes.  “I do like lasagna,” he grumbled after a few moments.  Hannah smiled and Cas sighed, unbuckling himself and letting himself out of the car.  He shut the car door, stepping forward and pointing at his sister over the hood of the car.  “You win this time, Hannah, I’ll give it a try.  But I am _not_ a pushover.”

Hannah smiled.  “I know, Cas.  Now come on, if we don’t hurry Inias will just eat all the food on his own,” she said, smirking a little.  Castiel chuckled, jogging around the car and joining his sister so they could head into the house.

\---

Naomi was elated when Castiel returned from his sister’s house to tell her that he would, in fact, go on a date with Lilith.  He had humored her fussing over him until around eleven o’clock in the evening, when he declared that he was exhausted and headed back to his bedroom to stare at the ceiling for a few hours.  He was unable to sleep because he knew that he would see Dean, and seeing Dean would mean confronting the fact that he was going on a date with another Omega in less than twenty-four hours.  It was, admittedly, the first time ever that he had dreaded dreaming of Dean.

By the time that he was finally able to fall asleep it was nearly four o’clock in the morning.  He dreamt of nothing, which pleased him, and in the late morning he woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside.  He grumbled, pulling his pillow over his head and rolling over.  It took him a few minutes to figure out what day it was and what his plans were, and when he remembered what he’d agreed to the night before he groaned loudly into the pillows, scowling.

It took him another hour to finally get himself up and ready for the day.  He wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, so he decided to skip breakfast in favor of sitting around his room and playing Candy Crush on his phone.  He wound up moving to his computer, eventually, so that he could answer work emails and sort out a few issues over the phone with Samandriel.  Before he even knew it five o’clock had rolled around, and his mother was calling his name from the kitchen, yelling at him that it was time for him to go pick up Lilith.

It was drizzling out when he got into his car, cold rain hitting his windshield and obstructing his view.  He turned his windshield wipers on with a flick of his wrist, humming softly to himself as he wondered how the evening was going to go.

It turned out that he didn’t need to wonder for long.  When he pulled up in front of the address his mother had given him and rushed through the rain to knock on the front door of what appeared to be the most extravagant mansion he’d ever seen standing in Chicago, he was greeted by a miserable looking butler who treated him with such a snobbish attitude that it made Castiel question whether or not he even knew he was a butler.

It wasn’t that Castiel wasn’t wealthy or used to being around wealthy people.  He was the CEO of Angel Industries; he lived in a top floor loft in Chicago for God’s sake.  But he had earned all of his money on his own, through hard work and dedication.  He had been extremely lucky at some points, but he had never been one to take his money for granted.  He certainly wasn’t the type of person to get off on all of the grandeur that came along with having money- huge mansions, lofty parties, expensive clothing, _butlers_ .  So even though he was probably just as wealthy as the Boechers- or at least comparably so- he felt extremely out of place standing on the porch of their _castle_ talking to their _butler_.

“You must be Mr. Milton.  Miss Lilith is still getting ready, so I’m afraid you’ll have to wait,” the butler drawled, his eyes flickering up and down over Cas’s body before he snorted, turning on his heel and striding easily back into the mansion.  Casteil swallowed, looking around for some sort of queue before he decided that he should probably follow.

“Shoes off when you enter the house,” the butler called back to him without even looking, and Castiel awkwardly fumbled to remove his shoes as he hopped over the threshold into the mansion  The entire foyer smelled like vanilla, and the Alpha felt his stomach lurch at the overwhelming scent.  Once he had finally kicked his shoes off he looked up, blushing when he saw a beautiful Omega- Lilith- standing on the staircase staring at him.  He straightened his stance, clearing his throat.

“Hi,” he said softly.  Lilith cleared her throat, flipping her hair behind her ear.

“So you must be Castiel, then,” she said, then turned and walked back up the stairs.  Castiel gaped after her, a sinking feeling in his chest. Five minutes in and this evening was already going horrible.

He waited by the stairs for a few minutes before Lilith returned, bright bedazzled purse clutched tight in his hand and an almost too-wide smile on her face.  She walked right up to Cas and cupped his left cheek, kissing him on the right and beaming up at him.  He felt himself sway slightly as her invasive scent surrounded him and he covered up a gag by clearing his throat, taking a step away from her.

“It’s raining out, so you’ll probably want to bright an umbrella,” he said softly.  She nodded, walking past Castiel and towards the foyer door.  Her black heels clicked against the linoleum as she went, and for the first time Castiel was able to take in the Omega’s outfit.  She was wearing black heels and a black, formfitting cocktail dress, along with a diamond necklace that must have cost at least five thousand dollars.  Her makeup was immaculate and suited her almost perfectly; pale pink lipstick and light blush framing her face perfectly and making her blue eyes pop out.  She strode over to the door and picked up an umbrella from the basin by the door, turning to look back at Cas.

“You can put your shoes back on.  I’m ready to go,” she said.  Castiel swallowed and nodded, stuffing his feet back into his loafers and stomping over to the door.  He barely contained his scowl when Lilith hooker her arm around his elbow, opening up the front door and stepping out onto the front stoop.  Her umbrella made a _swoosh_ noise as it popped open above both of their heads and Lilith handed it off to Castiel, smiling at him.  He sighed, forcing himself to smile back as he took it from her hands.

It was a quiet ride to the Weber Grill.  Lilith didn’t seem very interested in conversation, more concerned with her phone and whoever she was texting on it.  Every time that Castiel tried to speak to her she would either give him curt, one word responses or else hold her hand up to him, silencing him.  By the time that they reached the restaurant Castiel was feeling extremely jilted, and witha  perpetual frown on his face he led Lilith into the establishment, her nails digging into his arm as she hung onto his side and forced him to inhale her flowery, putrid scent.

“Milton, for two,” Castiel ground out as he walked up to the hostess desk, smiling tightly at the Beta woman who was standing there.  She smiled at Castiel in acknowledgement and began tapping away at the tablet in her hands, looking back up at him after a few moments.

“Come right this way, Mr. Milton,” she said, then turned and led them to their seats; a table near the left corner of the restaurant that was pushed up against the wall.  The hostess seated them and handed them both menus, smiling kindly when they took them from her.

“Your server will be right with you,” she said, then walked back to her stand.  Castiel opened up his menu, examining it for a few moments before he looked up at Lilith and forced himself to smile.

“What were you thinking?”

“I’m not sure.  The grilled lamb chops look nice,” she said, flipping a page in her menu and pursing her lips.  Castiel bit his lips, unsure of what to say.  Luckily the waitress saved him, walking over just in time to set some waters and complimentary breadsticks down and ask them what they would like to drink for the night.

“So, what do you do?”

Lilith looked up at him when he asked the question, her smile faltering and he rhead tilting to the side.  Castiel would have liked to call it cute, but it was ruined by the way her lips curled up almost as if she were baring her teeth as she spoke.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean, like, what do you do for work?”

She laughed, a hand on her chest.  “Work?  I don’t work,” she said, grinning as if Castiel had just said the funniest thing in the world.  Castiel frowned and the smile disappeared from her face as well, replaced by a rather serious expression.  “I’m an Omega, Castiel.  Why would I work? And besides, my father has enough money for me, my pups, their pups _and_ their pups to all live and not work a day in their lives.  Why would I need a job?”

Castiel cleared his throat, reaching for the glass of ice water the waitress has set down for him moments ago.  “My apologies, then.  I was being silly,” he mumbled, bringing the glass to his lips and taking several large gulps.  This was going to be a long night.

\---

When Castiel returned home early- around nine o’clock- it was to find his mother sitting on the couch with a few of her friends from the Rosary Society, enjoying drinks.  He took two steps into the room before she questioning called out his name, and then he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

\---

“Ow,” Castiel mumbled in his sleep, shifting uncomfortably on the mattress he was lying on.  His head was throbbing, and it took a few moments for him to open his eyes and realize what was going on.  He remembered his date- he remembered it ending horribly, with Lilith telling him that he was boring and asking  if he could drive her to a nearby bar to meet up with another guy.  He remembered driving home in a fury, his Alpha rage barely contained; remembered making it all the way up to his mother’s apartment before all of the emotions, the activity, the stimulation had amounted to him collapsing on the floor of his mother’s living room, with all of her old-biddy friends watching.

He groaned and sat up, raking his fingers through his hair and slipping out of bed.  One look at the window told him that it was still the evening, and another look at the alarm clock told him that it was only eleven o’clock.  He got up and made his way to the kitchen, opening up the fridge and pouring himself a glass of milk.  He was leaning against the kitchen counter when his mother walked in, clad in her pink nightie and slippers.  Castiel wrinkled up his noise and looked away.

“Mom, put some clothes on,” he grumbled.  Naomi rolled her eyes.

“Oh, shush Castiel.  Why don’t you tell me what happened tonight?” she asked.  Cas groaned, tipping his head back and looking away.

“Lilith is a total bitch, that’s what happened,” he snapped, ignoring the way his mother glared at him to continue.  “Don’t look at me like that- it’s true.  She has no personality at all.  She’s literally based her entire identity around the fact that she’s rich, and she treats everyone around her like they’re a lesser being. You want to know what happened at the restaurant?  The waiter accidentally knocked over a glass of wine and she just started _screaming_ that her dress was ruined and that she wanted a free dessert.  The spill wasn’t even on her side of the table; it didn’t come anywhere near spilling on her dress.”

Naomi scoffed.  “Really, Castiel, this is what you’re basing your opinions of people on these days?  How they treat incompetent service workers?  At this rate, that’s what you’ll wind up mating with!”

Castiel growled.  “She also told me I was boring and demanded that I drive her to a bar to meet up with another Alpha.”

Naomi’s eyes widened at Castiel’s words, but the shock only stayed on her face for a few moments before she shrugged.  “That’s what happens when you act miserably around Omegas, Castiel.  You know how fickle their kind is; they want an Alpha who will entertain them.  If you can’t… Well, you know what they say about Alphas.  There’s always a willing Alpha somewhere.”

Castiel growled, but his mother ignored him, instead choosing to pat him on the arm.

“We’ll find you a Beta next time.  It will be better, I promise.”

\---

It wasn’t fair.  _None_  of this was fair. But then, of course, that was just how his life was these days. He’d just returned from his sixth failed blind date in a month, and he had never wanted to die more than in that moment.  He was sick of all the Omegas and Betas; sick of being put into these awkward situations with strangers who he didn’t want to be around.  All he ever wanted to do was sleep, because when he slept he got to see Dean. And Dean… Dean was the only one he wanted to be with. Not another Omega, or a Beta, and certainly not one that his mother had picked out for him.

The truth was that he was completely done; done with all of the suffering, done with dealing with his mother. He began to cry, heavy sobs smothered by his pillow. He just wanted to die. Die, or be saved from the misery of this false mating.

He was still crying when his phone started to ring, an annoying buzzing presence against his leg. He groaned, shifting slightly and fumbling with his pants pocket, struggling to remove his phone in time to answer the call. When he finally picked up the phone he didn’t even bother checking who it was before he brought the device up to his ear, sniffling into the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Cassie? What’s the matter?” His brother’s voice, kind of concerned, came through the speaker and Castiel nearly broke down crying all over again.

“I’m just… I’m miserable, Gabe. And Mom just won’t give up with this blind date shit, and I...,” he trailed off on a whimper, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. “I just want this to end. I’m so fucking tired of all this- this-”

“Hey, hey, quiet down, Cas. It’s all gonna be alright, okay? Where are you right now?”

“Where else? I’m in bed. It’s where I fucking live these days… Sleep all day because I get to dream about the Omega of my dreams, and then go out on blind dates with other Omegas and Betas at night.  You know what that is, Gabe?  That’s pathetic.  it’s so pathetic and I… I… Oh, God…, ” he gagged, feeling bile rise in his throat as he worked himself up.

“Okay, Cassie, you just gotta take a deep breath. Is Mom still home with you?”

“I don’t want to talk to her right now.”

“I know, little bro. Just making sure that you aren’t alone,” Gabriel paused. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Castiel mumbled.

“Living with Mom isn’t working out for you, then? You said she’s still trying to set you up with someone?”

“I just got back from my sixth blind set up,” Castiel snapped, rolling his eyes. “This time it was a Beta; her name was Amelia.  And she was nice and all, I guess, but I would never be happy with her.  She’s just another rich girl that mom wants to marry me off to so she can gain access to some rich, powerful family. She doesn’t even care that I’m… that I’m miserable. Absolutely miserable,” he whimpered loudly. Gabriel sighed.

“Bro, you’ve gotta breathe, okay?” He paused for a moment. “You know, if you want, my offer is still open, You could come live with Kali and I in Kansas… It would solve all your problems.  Get away from Chicago; away from the set-ups; away from _Mom_.”

Castiel whimpered softly, staring down at his pillows for a few moments.  The thought of living with his brother seemed extremely appealing, especially considering the way his mother was acting, trying to set him up on dates.  He figured that living with Gabriel could actually be helpful to him; to be with somebody who truly loved and cared for him, back in Kansas where all of this false mating nonsense had begun.  Who knew- maybe he would wind up running into Dean again once he was there.  Cas smiled involuntarily upon thinking of Dean, clearing his throat before he spoke again. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I’d like to do that.  Is that okay?”

“For you little bro? Anything,” Gabriel replied, and the warmth in his voice made Castiel want to break down into tears for an entirely different reason.

“I’ll start packing.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There were some severe edits, so... You might want to reread. Idk. (I added like 4 or 5 pages)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [I Wanna Get Better](https://youtu.be/o5osPtE7kXI%22) by Bleachers

“I figured you could use a real lunch for once,” Benny smiled, leaning against the door to Dean and Lisa’s classroom, a brown bag held in his hand. The classroom was currently empty, all of the second graders down in the lunchroom with Lisa. Dean smiled a wide smile and stood up, walking over to Benny and pecking his cheek.

“Did you, now?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he snatched the brown bag from his Alpha boyfriend. “And how do you know I don’t already have something delicious packed for my lunch? Huh?”

Benny smirked a little and wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist, looking down at him with twinkling green eyes. “Cher, I love you, but let’s be honest- you’re absolutely horrible when it comes to taking care of yourself,” he said. Dean huffed and rolled his eyes, pursing his lips a bit and pulling away from Benny. He walked back to his desk and sat down in his chair, smiling up at Benny when the Alpha walked over and sat down on the desk as well.

“So, what did you make me?” He asked, smiling as he pulled out a hamburger, neatly wrapped in aluminum foil, along with a pile of French fries, also wrapped in foil. The savory smell of meat and grease filled the room, and Dean felt his mouth water at the sight of it. He looked up at Benny who simply smiled back at him, waiting while Dean lifted the burger up to his lips and took the first bite. He moaned at the taste, his eyes rolling back in his head as he chewed the delicious sandwich.

“Holy shit,” he groaned, bringing his hand up so that he could wipe some grease off of his face. Benny grinned.

“Good?”

“Delicious,” Dean hummed and took another large bite of the burger, chewing and swallowing quickly before he added, “although, I’m not so sure if it’s so healthy for the pups.”

“It’s got lettuce on it,” Benny argued with a chuckle. Dean grinned up at him, setting the hamburger down and leaning up so that he could press a chaste kiss to the Alpha’s lips. Benny hummed, leaning close and cupping his cheek. Dean bit his lips.

“How about we watch a movie together tonight? Sam is staying over at his girlfriend’s place, and I just rented Iron Man 3,” he suggested, looking up at Benny with adoration in his eyes. They had been dating for only five weeks, but given how long they had known each other, it felt like they’d been together for much longer. 

It wasn’t hard for Dean to tell that he was falling in love with Benny. Or maybe he wasn’t falling in love with him so much as that he simply loved him. Yet, no matter how much Dean enjoyed spending time with the Alpha and even kissing him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that being in a relationship with him was wrong; that mating with him would be wrong.

Nevertheless he was happy being with Benny, and it was obvious that the Alpha was happy being with him. Benny nodded, shifting a bit so that he could reach down and kiss Dean easier. He pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, grinning and nuzzling his nose against his cheek. “I’d love to, baby. What time?”

“How about six?” Dean asked, his gaze focusing on Benny’s lips hungrily as he trailed his fingers down the Alpha’s chest. He purred, puffing out his chest and posturing for Dean, making the Omega grin. He leaned forward, kissing Benny with an open mouth and thrusting his tongue inside, moaning softly as the Alpha’s arms wrapped around him and hoisted him out of his chair and onto the desk.

That was when the door swung open, the sound of heels clicking against the tile echoing in the empty classroom. “Dean, I got those copies you- Dean Winchester!” Charlie gasped when she looked up from the stack of papers in her arms, only to see Dean practically pinned underneath Benny. The pregnant Omega scrambled to move away from Benny, who pouted but willingly released him.

“Seriously, guys? In the classroom? With—” she paused, looking up at the clock that hung over the doorway. “—only ten minutes left until lunch is over?”

Dean blushed, scratching the back of his neck and clearing his throat. “He was just bringing me lunch,” he mumbled, shuffling to his feet and making his way towards Charlie. He took the copies from her, his cheeks burning bright red when his green eyes met her blue ones. He quickly averted his gaze, walking back to his desk and placing the copies in a pile over his calendar. Silence reigned over the room, and finally Benny cleared his throat after a few seconds.

“I should probably be getting back to the Roadhouse. The lunch rush should be starting right about now,” he said quietly. 

“I’ll walk you out,” Charlie offered, giving Dean a sharp look when he glared at her. Benny nodded.

“I’d appreciate that,” he said, then turned to look down at Dean. He reached out, placing a gentle hand on the Omega’s bicep and giving it a squeeze. “I’ll see you later tonight, then?”

“Yeah,” Dean said quietly, tilting his chin up so that Benny could press a kiss to the cheek. Then the Alpha crouched down, quickly kissing the bump of Dean’s belly before he stood up and followed Charlie out of the room, leaving Dean looking like a tomato he was blushing so hard.

\---

“What are you making?” Sam asked, leaning over Dean as he stirred some tomato sauce on the stove. Dean pursed his lips and shoved his younger brother away.

“None of your business, Marilyn Manson. Don’t you have a date to go on?” He asked. Sam hummed, leaning against the counter and reaching out to pick up an apple from their fruit basket.

“I do, but Ruby doesn’t get out of class until six thirty. I don’t have to leave yet,” he said. Dean huffed out a sigh, tapping the spoon against the side of the pot and placing it on the counter.

“You guys are still dating?” Dean mumbled. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, Dean, we are. And I don’t want to hear any complaints about it either- she’s a really nice person when you get to know her. You just haven’t given her a chance.”

Dean scoffed. “ _I_ haven’t given _her_ a chance? Are you kidding me, Sam? She’s been out to get me since the day we met. I swear to God, she’s the most bigoted fucking Beta that I’ve ever met,” he grumbled. Sam huffed and turned away from his brother, taking a bite out of his apple.

“Whatever, Dean. She loves me, and I love her. Can’t you be happy for us?” he whined. Dean paused, pressing his lips together before he finally lifted his head to look up at his brother. He sighed.

“Yeah, Sam, you’re right. I’m happy for you, that you found somebody you like. You deserve that.”

Sam smiled, looking at Dean for a moment. Their eyes met and Dean smiled back at him, frowning when Sam quickly averted his eyes and cleared his throat. He shifted on his feet for a few moments, then grabbed his phone and stuffed it into his back pocket. “I’m gonna get going.”

“I thought you didn’t need to leave yet?” Dean asked, frowning. Sam shrugged.

“I might as well head out… I have to, uh, pick up our dinner anyway. Benny will be here soon either way. Don’t want me getting in the way of your sex life, right?” He chuckled, but if sounded more forced than anything.

Dean stared at Sam with a peculiar look on his face before he shrugged, looking towards the microwave clock and seeing that it was almost six o’clock anyway. “That’s fine, I guess. Drive safe,” he said. “I need the car to get to work tomorrow.” Sam nodded, grabbing the keys to the Impala and walking out of the kitchen.

Dean busied himself with cooking dinner, now alone in the apartment save for the sound of the TV in the background and the quiet sound of the clock ticking. His stomach rumbled and he reached down, rubbing his hand back and forth over his stomach and cooing softly.

“Don’t worry, kiddos. Dinner’s comin’ soon,” he said. He smiled when he felt a little fluttering kick press up against his palm, and he kept moving his hand, rubbing over the tight flesh of his belly. “Yeah, I know y’all are hungry. But Benny’s gonna be here soon, and then you can all eat everything you want.”

Dean turned off the burner and moved the pot of tomato sauce towards the back of the stove, pulling out another pot and filling it with water, then placed it on the front burner. While waiting for the water to boil he leaned against the counter, rubbing his stomach as he continued to talk to his unborn pups.

“You know, a couple weeks ago I thought I was gonna be alone for this whole thing. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do anything on my own; thought I would be a bad father or something. But you know… I was wrong. I think I can do this. And I love y’all so much… And no matter what you three present as, I’m gonna love you forever, regardless. I already love you.” As he spoke he could feel himself choking up, and he grumbled to himself while wiping his eyes, drying his tears on his sleeves.

“One thing’s for sure, though. I was never this damn emotional before you three decided to camp out in my uterus,” he said with a snort, wiping his eyes one final time, shaking his head. He patted his belly, smiling a little when he felt another kick against the inside of his stomach. “You thought that was funny, did you? Or are you just hungry?” He asked.

Just then Dean’s phone began to ring and he reached out, pressing the _SEND_ button and bringing the receiver up to his ear. “Hey.”

“Hey, Cher. I just pulled up outside. I’ll be up in a few minutes,” Benny’s voice was soft through the phone. Dean smiled and pushed off of the counter, shuffling towards the stove and cracking some spaghetti into the boiling pot. 

“That’s great. Dinner is almost ready... I hope you like spaghetti, because that’s what the pups requested,” he said. He heard Benny snort out a laugh.

“The pups, huh? I’m getting’ into the elevator right now. I’ll see you in a few minutes, baby.”

“Alright. The apartment door should be unlocked, so just let yourself in,” he said, then hung up. He placed his phone on the counter, picking up his spoon again and stirring the spaghetti. A few minutes later he heard the door open and close, and then Benny was in the kitchen, his arms wrapping around Dean’s middle and rubbing over his stomach.

“You smell nice today,” he breathed, pressing a kiss to the back of Dean’s neck and nuzzling his nose against Dean’s scent glands. “Hmm, did you know I’ve always loved the smell of pregnant Omega?”

Dean snorted. “Is that so?” He asked, setting his spoon down on the counter again and turning around in Benny’s arms. He leaned up to kiss his lips, smiling and stroking his hands back and forth over Benny’s chest. “Did I ever tell you that I love the smell of southern Alphas?”

Benny chuckled and leaned in, pressing another kiss to Dean’s lips and pushing his hair away from his face. He paused, looking down at Dean’s face for a few moments before he breathed out, “You’re so gorgeous. You’re practically glowing,” he said. Dean blushed, squirming a little and turning back to turn the burner off. Benny released him, stepping away and leaning against the counter.

“You want me to go set up the movie while you dish up our food?” He asked. Dean nodded and Benny smiled, turning and walking off into the living room. Dean pulled two bowls down from the cupboard, strained the spaghetti and divided the noodles and sauce between them. Then he made his way into the living room, plopping down next to his boyfriend and handing him his spaghetti.

They ate quietly as the movie began, and by the time they were both done eating the movie was almost halfway done. Dean leaned in to Benny’s side, resting his head on his chest and taking a deep breath.

“Benny,” he whispered, taking another deep breath before he turned to press his nose into the Alpha’s neck. “I love you.”

Benny’s breath hitched and he looked down at Dean, his hand moving up to rest on the back of the Omega’s neck. He placed another hand on Dean’s stomach, a tentative smile spreading across his face before he leaned in to kiss his lips softly. “I love you too, beau,” he whispered. Dean’s stomach did a somersault as a grin spread over his face. 

“I think we should…” Dean paused, licking his lips and smirking back up at Benny, “see if this relationship is… to be or _knot_ to be, if you know what I mean,” he winked. Benny snorted loudly and smiled, leaning down to press a messy, wet kiss to Dean’s lips.

“You are a piece of work, I swear,” he mumbled against Dean’s lips, pulling the Omega close and stroking his hands back and forth over the Omega’s belly. Dean hummed and opened up his mouth for Benny’s tongue, tilting his head back and moaning as the Alpha pushed him back against the arm of the couch.

“Maybe we should take this to the bedroom,” Benny breathed against the Omega’s neck, shuffling uncomfortably as he tried to get into a position that wouldn’t have him crushing Dean’s belly. The Omega grunted, shuffling up into a sitting position. He reached out, tugging at Benny’s shirt and making a needy sound in the back of his throat.

“Alpha,” he whined. Benny shushed him with a kiss, helping him up off the couch and leading him towards his bedroom. They tugged and pulled at each other’s clothing as they walked, until they finally made it to Dean’s bed and they were both naked, save for their underwear. Dean’s swollen belly stuck out and pressed against Benny’s body when they kissed, and the Alpha growled, palming at his swollen stomach and kissing him deeply.

“Want you so bad,” he gasped against Dean’s lips, hoisting him up and carefully laying him out on the mattress. He pressed a wet, sloppy kiss to the Omega’s mouth as he slowly trailed kisses down his jaw, neck and chest. He flicked Dean’s nipples, smirking when the Omega keened beneath him and arched his back.

“Benny!” Dean cried out, hands flying up to tangle into Benny’s short hair. He arched his back and pushed his chest forward, whimpering when the Alpha closed his mouth around Dean’s right nipple and sucked. The Omega whined and squirmed on the bed, slick leaking through his underwear as he tugged at Benny’s hair.

“I’ve got you, Cher,” he mumbled, pressing a wet kiss against his pectoral as he continued trailing kisses down his body, palming at the Omega’s swollen stomach and dragging his tongue over the tight flesh. Dean shivered, squeezing his eyes shut and spreading his legs instinctively. More slick leaked from his ass and he whined, arching into Benny’s touch as the Alpha cooed at him. “Look at yourself. You’re so beautiful.”

Dean bit his lips, his cheeks turning red as Benny sat back on his haunches, carefully hooking his fingers under the waistband of the Omega’s boxers and peeling them off. They dragged against Dean’s skin as they slid down, the slick making them stick to his flesh. The Omega squirmed when he felt the cool air hitting his cock, instantly making it go rock hard, and he whined loudly as slick began to stain the mattress.

“Benny, please,” he whimpered. Benny shushed him, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips as he took Dean’s cock into his hand and began to stroke it.

“I’m takin’ care of you, baby. Don’t worry,” he whispered. He stroked his hands over Dean’s baby bump, letting go of his cock and pressing his fingers against Dean’s slick hole. The Omega whined loudly and arched his back, reaching upwards and clawing at the Alpha’s back.

“I need you, Benny. I want you so bad,” he sighed. Benny pushed his fingers into Dean’s hole, twisting his fingers as the Omega moaned. Dean moaned and closed his eyes, hole fluttering around Benny’s digits. He spread his legs and hooked them around Benny’s shoulders as the Alpha smiled and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his hip and twisting his fingers again.

“So beautiful,” he sighed, sitting up and kneeling between Dean’s legs. His feet fell back onto the bed and he whined, looking up at Benny with lust blown eyes. Benny grinned, shucking off his boxers and tossing them onto the floor. He draped his body over Dean’s, grinding against him slowly and slicking up his cock with Dean’s juices. Then, slowly, he pressed inside, groaning as he felt Dean’s hole fluttering around his cock. Dean moaned as well, reaching up and letting his fingers dig into the Alpha’s shoulders.

“Oh, yes, please,” he gasped, fire flaring up in his belly. He could feel pleasure sparking through his body as Benny slowly pressed into him, cock disappearing inch by inch into Dean’s ass. His cock twitched and he moaned, arching into Benny’s embrace. Pleasure coursed through his veins and he whined, hole fluttering and tightening as Benny began to rock into him, his cock pushing deep into his body.

“You’re so beautiful,” Benny gasped, nosing at Dean’s neck and pressing soft kisses against his skin. “I never thought… _ahh_ ,” he gasped, moaning loudly against Dean’s neck as the Omega’s hole fluttered around his cock. He thrust forward, moaning loudly and mouthing at Dean’s neck. “Fuck, I love you. Love you, all of you,” he groaned, sucking at Dean’s neck as he thrust forward again and again.

Dean whined and hooked his legs around Benny’s thighs, pulling the Alpha in closer and clawing at his back. “Alpha, _Alpha_ ,” he cried out, whimpering loudly and tossing his head back, clenching down around Benny’s thick cock. The Alpha grunted and thrust forward again, his knot beginning to form at the base of his cock. It caught on Dean’s rim, then popped out again as he continued to grind up against the Omega.

“Gonna knot you. Fill you up,” he grunted, rocking forward again and palming at his swollen stomach. He nosed at his neck, scraping his teeth against his neck and pushing his knot into the Omega’s hole. Dean moaned and arched his back, his cock twitching against his stomach as cum spurted between them in thick globs. He squeezed his eyes shut, crying out loudly as he came all over his own chest. Of course, he never expected for an image of Castiel to flash before his eyes as he came. Dean whimpered loudly, opening his eyes and staring up at Benny as he milked his knot. The Alpha grunted and came deep inside of the Omega, leaning down to kiss him deeply.

His arms wrapped around Dean’s hips and he snarled, his canines extending as he brushed them against the Omega’s neck. Dean arched into his touch, moaning softly as Benny ground against him, nosing at his neck and pressing his teeth against Dean’s skin. It was a few moments before Dean realized what Benny was doing and he jerked, pushing the Alpha’s face away from his neck. He was greeted by the sight of Benny’s Alpha red eyes, and he shook his head, swallowing.

“No, Benny. Not yet,” he said softly, cupping the Alpha’s face and leaning in to kiss him softly. Benny let out a heavy sigh, the red very slowly fading out of his eyes. He blinked his eyes shut and leaned in, pressing his nose against Dean’s neck and inhaling his scent.

“I’m sorry, Cher,” he whispered. Dean reached around, stroking his fingers through the Alpha’s short hair and kissing his neck.

“It’s fine, baby. I love you.”

Benny smiled a little bit. “I love you, too.”

\---

The next morning when Dean woke up his whole body was sore, but he was warm and happy; with Benny’s arms around him he couldn’t have been happier. He sighed, snuggling into Benny’s embrace as the Alpha’s arms tightened around his pregnant belly.

“What day is it?” Benny mumbled against his neck. Dean hummed sleepily before he replied.

“It’s Friday.”

Benny groaned. “I don’t wanna go to work,” he whined, shuffling into a sitting position and scrubbing at his own face. He yawned, stretching as he slid out of bed and walked off towards the bathroom. Dean watched him go, then groaned loudly and collapsed back onto the mattress. The entire bed shook and he turned to look at his alarm clock, letting out an aggravated sigh when he saw that it was only 5:45 AM; nowhere near a decent time for him to be awake. And yet here he was, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom as the pups put an uncomfortable amount of pressure on his bladder.

After a few more minutes he finally hoisted himself up, not bothering to put on any clothes as he shuffled towards the bathroom. When he walked into the room he could hear the sound of the shower going behind the curtain, and he quickly relieved himself before walking over to the shower stall, peeking his head behind the curtain and grinning at Benny.

“Care for some company?” He asked, laughing when Benny chose to reach out and pull him into the stall rather than responding. The Omega purred, coming to stand in Benny’s close embrace and nosing at his neck. 

“I’m glad that we slept together last night,” Benny said after a beat. Dean hummed, pressing a soft kiss to the Alpha’s jaw.

“So am I,” he said, biting his lips as he looked up at the Alpha, taking in the sight of his wet face and slicked back hair. He thought how handsome he was, and wondered to himself why on earth he couldn’t imagine himself as Benny’s mate. They would, by all means, be perfect together. They loved each other, they had similar interests, and most importantly Benny was a good guy. Dean chalked it up to his pregnancy hormones, or maybe the fact that he was carrying another Alpha’s pups making his body and mind reject the idea of mating with a different Alpha. And yet, he could feel a lump in his throat at the thought that maybe the fact that he couldn’t see himself as Benny’s mate was something larger than just hormones.

“What’re you thinkin’ of, beau?” Benny asked, picking up the body wash and pouring some into his palm, rubbing his hands over Dean’s body. Dean shrugged.

“Just thinking about last night,” he said, swallowing loudly. “I’m sorry that I- I rejected your mating bite.”

Benny shrugged. “It’s all good, sugar. I would hate to rush you or anything. And anyway, having you by my side is enough. I don’t need to mate with you.”

Dean frowned. “You say that now, but…,” he huffed, looking away from Benny. The Alpha’s hands paused on his skin for a moment, and it was silent but for the sound of water splattering against the wall. Then Benny moved his hands again, trailing them over Dean’s swollen belly as he leaned down to kiss his baby bump.

“And how are y’all doing this morning? Not dancing on your papa’s bladder, I hope,” he cooed. Dean blushed, reaching down and stroking his fingers through Benny’s wet hair.

“Too late for that,” Dean chuckled, his tongue clicking against his teeth. “Why do you think I came in here to begin with? I was about to piss myself.”

Benny snorted and stood up straight, smiling widely at Dean and wrapped his arms around the Omega in a tight hug. Dean sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his nose against Benny’s shoulder. “What time do you have to be at work?”

“Um…,” Benny frowned, shifting slightly to rub his hands up and down Dean’s sides. “My shift starts at eight today, but I need to go home and change my clothes.”

“You could borrow some of Sam’s and stay for breakfast,” Dean suggested. Benny shook his head.

“It’s alright. You have to get ready for work too, anyway, and I doubt your brother would be too happy with me wearing his clothes. Alphas get a little possessive over their property, you know.”

Dean snorted. “Alphas, huh?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. Benny smiled and leaned down, pressing a wet kiss to Dean’s lips and releasing him.

“I’m gonna get dried off. You coming?”

“I’ll be a few minutes. Got to wash my hair,” he said. Benny nodded and turned away, hopping out of the shower and grabbing a towel. He went into the bedroom and dressed in his clothes from the day before, standing in front of the mirror on Dean’s door and drying his hair with a towel. He knew that it was cold outside and his wet hair would probably freeze as soon as he left the building, but one glance at the clock and he knew that he would be running late if he didn’t get home and then to work soon.

He grabbed his wallet and keys, tucking his phone into his back pocket as he exited the bedroom and walked through the living room. He was just about to open up the front door when it swung open and Sam stepped inside, the smell of stale cigarettes, dirt and iron assaulting his nostrils. The two Alphas stopped when they saw each other, and Benny stared at Sam as he slowly shuffled past him, grunting out a mumbled ‘hello’ as he passed. Benny gagged, bringing a hand to his nose and quickly leaving the apartment, pulling out his phone as he made his way to the staircase.

**To: Dean  
12/09/2015 | 6:39 AM**

_your brother smells like a fucking crack house_

Dean was just getting out of the shower when his phone lit up, and he frowned when he read Benny’s message, confused. He quickly dressed in jeans and a too-tight tee shirt, making his way into the living room and calling out his brother’s name.

“Sam?”

When that warranted no response he frowned, looking back down at Benny’s text and reading it over again. Maybe it was some sort of joke or something, although it would be a pretty stupid joke. He pursed his lips, walking over to his brother’s bedroom and knocking softly on the door. He eased it open, frowning when he saw that Sam was lying splayed out on the bed. He was pretty sure that his brother was supposed to be at class this morning at the same time that he was supposed to be at work, and yet here he was, out cold on his bed. 

He carefully tiptoed over to the side of the bed, petting his fingers through Sam’s long hair and pushing it away from his pale face. The Alpha didn’t stir, and Dean frowned, leaning down to sniff at his neck. He smelled off; like sweat and piss and something else disgusting. He frowned, taking a step away from his brother’s bed.

Now suspicious, and sure that something was definitely wrong with Sam, he walked over to his dresser and opened up the top drawer. Nothing but folded shirts. He opened the second, the third, and the fourth, only to be greeted by more and more clothes. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, really, but his heart was pounding in his chest as he continued to search. And, of course, his heart nearly stopped when he opened up the bottom drawer and was greeted by the site of drugs; bags of marijuana, and what looked like heroin. Dean felt his stomach flip as he reached down, picking up the bag and looking a little closer. Yup. That was definitely heroin.

Dean was starting to feel like he was going to throw up when he heard a startling noise behind him, almost like a cough. He jumped, quickly dropping the bag and spinning around.

“Sa-” he started to explain, stopping when he heard his brother cough again, still asleep, his entire body moving with the action. Dean let out a relieved sigh that his snooping hadn’t been found out, but that relief only lasted for a few moments before his brother coughed again, and he realized that he wasn’t coughing at all. He was _choking_. His entire body moved as he gagged, vomit visibly bubbling over out of the side of his mouth as his face turned blue.

Dean rushed over, shaking Sam violently and turning him on his side. He slapped his back, shaking him hard. “Sam, Sammy! C’mon,” he gasped, his throat closing up when Sam didn’t wake up, but continued to choke on his vomit. Dean slapped him in the back again and Sam jolted, throwing up all over the sheets of the bed, then gasping for breath as his eyes shot open. He coughed violently, rolling into his own vomit as he scrambled to sit up. Dean scrunched up his nose, moving away from the vomit but keeping a hand on Sam’s cheek.

“Sammy, are you okay? Talk to me,” he begged. Sam groaned, closing his eyes and placing his palm over his face. He whimpered, tears filling up his eyes as he looked up at his older brother. 

“Dean,” he cried out, reaching out to grasp at the Omega’s shirt, staining it with vomit. Dean shushed him, stroking his brother’s hair away from his face and pulling him into a tight hug.

“It’s okay, Sam. It’s alright.”

“Dean-”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m gonna take care of you. I’m gonna make this okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seen a lot of comments already complaining about this chapter and worrying about whether or not destiel is going to ever happen in this fic- for this reason I am about to indulge spoilers, something I never do. I want y'all to know that destiel is the end game in this fic. Denny is going to continue for another chapter or two, but I don't want anybody to worry- DESTIEL WILL BE CANON. This is not a traditional destiel fic, it's more of a story about Dean and Cas's individual journeys to get to each other than it is about their relationship. Because let's face it- who wants to read the same story about Dean and Cas having babies over and over again? I'll tell you that I don't.
> 
> Tl;dr Destiel is end game, Denny will not last. The fic is properly tagged as well, so you knew what you were getting yourself in to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Never Gonna Give You Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) by Rick Atsley

Gabriel was waiting at the gate when Castiel arrived in the airport looking as rumpled and disheveled as ever. The young Alpha wore his dirty tan trench coat over his clothes, and his hair stuck up in every direction, as if he had been sleeping for the past year. He offered a tired smile when he saw Gabriel, walking towards his Beta brother, who enveloped him in a tight bear hug.

“Damn Cassie, is it good to see you or what?” He practically cheered into the Alpha’s ear, pressing a disgustingly wet kiss to his cheek and ruffling his already messy hair. Castiel growled and batted his hands away, adjusting his bag over his shoulder and took a step away from his brother. He smiled.

“It’s good to see you too, Gabriel,” he said hoarsely, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck. The six hour flight to Kansas had done little for Cas’s ill condition, and now on top of feeling horrible on the inside, he appeared to be developing a cold. All of the exposure to so many unfamiliar scents wasn’t helping him either, and the crowded airport was starting to feel more like a cardboard box, suffocating him. He coughed, looking around and shifting uncomfortably.

“Where- ah, where’s Kali?” He asked. Gabriel reached out, grabbing one of Cas’s bags with one hand and slinging his other arm over his brother’s shoulder. 

“She’s waiting in the car. Would you believe that there are no parking spots out there? You would think that less people would want to come hang out in this rotten state, but…”

Castiel chuckled. “You know that I say the exact same thing about Illinois,” he mumbled. Gabriel shrugged.

“Yeah, well, at least you guys have Chicago. We don’t have anything special,” he argued. Castiel was quiet, simply shrugging at his brother and taking a step away as they exited the terminal. They made their way towards the drop off zone, where Gabriel’s Toyota was idling, Kali in the driver’s seat. Castiel smiled as he piled into the back seat, dragging his bags along with him.

“Hey Kali,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek. She smiled a little, turning to look at her brother-in-law.

“Hey, Castiel. How are you feeling? Gabriel told me you were… indisposed.”

Cas snorted, looking over at his older brother as the man piled into the passenger’s seat. “He did, huh? Did he also tell you that this false mating is all his fault in the first place?”

Gabriel scoffed. “My fault?” He gawked, placing a hand over his heart. “Cassie, I never told you to go sleep with some Omega and fall in love with him. I simply told you to _live a little_ ,” he said. Cas rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. But, uh, I guess you could say I’m okay. I don’t want to die or anything, so that’s something,” he mumbled, sitting back in his seat and buckling his seat belt. “My head is killing me though.”

“You’re probably hungry,” Gabriel said as Kali started up the car and pulled out of her spot. He frowned, reaching back and placing his hand over Cas’s forehead. The Alpha huffed and batted his hand away, shooting his brother a glare as Gabriel frowned at him. “You’re running a fever, too. We should probably stop somewhere and get some food into you.”

“It’s all right, guys. I just want to go unpack…”

“No, Gabriel is right. I’m hungry anyway. How does sushi sound?”

“Ooh, sushi,” Gabriel’s features lit up and he turned around to grin at Cas, who couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Sure. That sounds fine,” he said softly. “But I’m paying.”

“Suit yourself,” Kali chuckled, turning her blinker on and making a right turn on to the highway. Cas continued to smile, settling a little more comfortably into his seat. A few minutes ticked by in silence before Gabriel turned around and tossed a bottle of pills into Cas’s lap. The Alpha looked up, surprised, and his brother shrugged.

“I brought them along, just in case. I figured you would be a little worse for wear after your flight,” he said. Castiel bit his lips and looked down at the aspirin bottle, carefully opening it up and popping two pills down his throat, dry. He smiled back up at his older brother, handing the pills back to him afterwards.

“Thank you, Gabe. I think I’m already starting to feel better.”

They pulled into the parking lot of _Nori No. 1_ about ten minutes later, and as Kali parked the car she turned to grin at Cas. “Come on, if there’s one thing I love it’s a good California Roll,” she said, then unbuckled and climbed out of the car. As she closed the door Gabriel turned to his little brother, shaking his head.

“You’d think she’d get that excited when I kiss her or tell her I love her, but _no_. It’s the great California Roll that captures her heart.”

Castiel laughed, a grin playing on his lips as he slid out of the car and followed after Kali towards the restaurant. Gabriel joined him after a few seconds, slinging his arm over his brother’s shoulder and ruffling his hair. Castiel growled, glaring halfheartedly at Gabriel as the shorter Beta grinned at him.

“So, how’ve you been doing? Aside for the false mating nonsense, I mean,” he asked. Cas shrugged, biting his lips.

“I don’t know. Okay, I guess,” he paused, frowning. “I’m kind of missing work, but I know that it’s better if I don’t go back, at least for now. Last time I was there… Well, you know what happened.”

“No,” Gabriel frowned. “You never told me. What happened?”

“Well that’s how I wound up in the hospital in the first place,” Cas said, stepping back when they reached the doors of the restaurant, so that Gabriel could let him in first. He stepped forward, waiting for Gabriel to join him before they went to find Kali. The smell of cooked fish and seaweed swirled in the air and Castiel’s stomach growled loudly, making him realize for the first time that he was actually pretty hungry. They began to walk through the restaurant, towards the table where Kali was sitting, and Cas continued to talk. “There was this huge meeting and I must have gotten overwhelmed by something, and I threw up. On top of that, I was just coming down from my rut, so that probably had something to do with it too.”

“Crap, man,” Gabriel said, sitting down at the table next to Kali and pulling out a chair for Cas. The Alpha took a seat, folding his hands in his lap and looking over at his brother as Gabriel spoke. “I knew you were in the hospital, but I didn’t know what had particularly happened to get you there.”

“Wait, but what are you doing about your job?” Kali asked, leaning forward. “Gabe said you’ve been on sick leave, but you’re the CEO. I doubt they’ll let this fly for too long.”

Castiel shrugged. “The law will protect me. As long as I provide proof of disability, they won’t be able to say anything. Besides, the board is doing a fine job running the company in my absence, and Samandriel emails me whenever something really big comes up,” he paused, sighing. “I just hope the pile of invoices on my desk doesn’t get too big while I’m gone.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Tell me about it, Cas! Lately, I’ve been getting flooded with memos and invoices and all sorts of crap at the firm. And they just hired this new paralegal who has no clue what she’s doing,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I swear to God, a monkey could do her job better than she does. She double-booked my ten o’clock yesterday, and one of my clients, who is suing for malpractice, threatened to sue _me_ ,” he paused. “She can’t, of course, but the sentiment was still there.”

“I’ve been listening to this all day,” Kali complained, and Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“If you didn’t like listening to me talk about how much I hate everyone else, you wouldn’t have mated with me,” Gabriel retorted. Kali smiled lovingly at her and reached out to squeeze his wrist. Castiel stared at the place where their hands met on the table top, unable to stop a frown from forming on his face.

It was impossible to deny that he was jealous of them and their relationship. He was jealous of them; jealous of Hannah and Inias; jealous of any and all couples that he saw these days, and he hated it. Cas had never been the jealous type, but more and more lately he had found himself feeling resentful of those couples.

“I want that,” he blurted out suddenly, and Kali frowned, looking up at him in confusion as Gabriel turned to ask him what he meant. However, just at that moment the waiter bustled over, a tall, Japanese-American Omega with an apron tied around his waist. Castiel was quiet as the waiter took their orders, only speaking when he was spoken to. By the time that the waiter had taken all of their orders, silence had descended over the table, and the three adults just sat staring at each other for some time.

Finally, Kali cleared her throat. “So… Why don’t you tell us about this Omega of yours?” She asked. Castiel blushed and Gabriel made an awful sound in the back of his throat, to which Kali protested with a high-pitched, “What? I’m curious!”

Castiel sighed, running his fingers through his hair and slumping back in his chair. “He was perfect,” he said immediately, then frowned when he heard his own words. “I mean… he wasn’t. I know that, logically. But biologically, the two of us… We just clicked. I don’t know,” Castiel fidgeted uncomfortably, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. Kali frowned silently at his words, and after a few moments Gabriel spoke.

“I’m sorry, Cassie,” he said quietly. Cas shrugged, tapping his fingers against his leg and shaking his head.

“I’ve been thinking about Anna a lot lately,” he said after a beat, looking up at his brother with blue eyes shining and glossed over. Gabriel wore a shocked expression, his mouth dropping open and then closing again a moment later. Castiel snorted, shaking his head and pressing his palms up against his face. “I don’t know why. I just can’t get her out of my head,” he sniffed loudly, wiping his eyes off and swallowing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’ll…I’ll shut up.”

“No, Cas, it’s--” Gabriel stopped himself before he could say it was okay, reaching out to let his hand hover over Cas’s shoulder. After a few indecisive seconds he finally let his hand rest on his brother’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “If you want to talk about Anna, we can talk about Anna. We never really…,” he paused, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Mom is so dismissive about everything, you know? You know we never really got to talk about what happened with her, and that’s wrong.”

Cas’s breath hitched as tears filled his eyes, but he quickly batted them away, obviously embarrassed. “I miss her so much. She was my best friend and then she was gone, and I-” he huffed, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes. “I feel so guilty because for so long, I tried to forget her. I tried to pretend like she never existed- like everyone else did- but I… I…”

“Hey, hey, little bro, it’s alright,” Gabriel said softly, shushing Cas and squeezing his shoulder. He reached out and cupped his brother’s cheek, pushing his hair back and exposing his blotchy, red face. “We never pretended that she didn’t exist. At least, I didn’t. You know I didn’t.”

“Yeah, but you…”

“What?” Gabriel asked, raising his eyebrows. Castiel shrugged, sniffling again and brushing his nose off on his sleeve. Gabriel sighed and dropped his hand from Cas’s face, sitting back in his chair. “Something I’ve realized over the years, little bro, is that shit happens. Death happens. But the last thing that Anna would have wanted, I think, is for you to be sitting here almost seven years later crying over her and feeling bad for yourself over it. She probably would have slapped you in the face, actually,” he smiled fondly. “Girl had a mean left hook,” he said, eliciting a chuckle from Castiel. He smiled. “All I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to miss her. You’ll always miss her, but that doesn’t mean you should… You should do anything stupid, like try to join her in death, or some crap…”

Castiel groaned, waving his brother off. “It’s not like that, Gabe. Stop it,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Gabriel sighed.

“Yeah, it better not be like that,” he said. Castiel rolled his eyes again, though he did offer Gabriel a smile when the Beta nudged his leg under the table. “Love you, little bro.”

“Yeah, whatever, I love you too,” he grumbled, looking away. Kali chuckled, shaking her head.

“You two are a couple of big saps, you know that?” She teased lightly. Gabriel and Cas both smiled over at her, and Gabriel spoke.

“Oh baby, I know you’re only saying that because you feel left out. But don’t worry, we love you too. Ain’t that right, Cassie?”

“Yeah,” Castiel said, smiling a little bit. “Don’t worry, Kali. I love you too.”

The woman snorted and tossed her napkin at Castiel’s face. “Alright, alright, enough of this sappy talk. So tell me, Castiel, how is your witch of a mother doing these days?”

\---

“This will be your room,” Gabriel said, pushing open the door of a small, warm bedroom. There was a neatly made bed in the corner of the room, the blankets pale blue and comfy-looking. Above the bed was a large window, and the mid-afternoon sunlight was streaming in through the clear glass, lighting up the room and causing stray dust particles to be visible floating around in the air. The walls were a chalky blue-green that almost matched the bedspread, and there was a small table and chair set up on the side of the room by the door.

Castiel walked in after his brother and smiled at him, dropping his bags on to the floor and plopping down on the bed. He let out a heavy sigh, sinking into the mattress and looking up at his brother.

“It’s perfect,” he said. Gabriel smiled and reached out, patting him on the cheek once and turning to leave.

“I’ll let you get situated, or take a nap or whatever. Kali and I are probably gonna order pizza for dinner later, so we’ll call you downstairs then.”

Cas smiled up at him, pulling his phone out from his pocket and opening up his mail app. “That’d be great. Thank you.”

“No problem, little bro,” he said softly, leaving the room a few moments later and letting Castiel to tend to his phone. The Alpha stared at the screen of his iPhone blankly for a few minutes, letting out a heavy sigh as he scrolled through his email. He had countless forwarded messages to look through, and he knew it was probably going to take all night.

He opened up the oldest message, one from a week before, and began to read through it. But as he read, his mind kept wandering towards other, more interesting things. He was halfway through typing up his response when he finally passed out, his eyes dropping shut as he collapsed in a heap onto the soft, warm mattress.

_”I came for you, Dean,” Castiel breathed out, his breath hot against Dean’s neck as he held the Omega close to him. But Dean turned his face away from Cas’s kisses, a hand resting protectively on his belly as he cast Castiel a dirty, disgusted look._

_“You’re too late, Castiel. I’ve found myself a good mate. One who will take care of me now,” he insisted. Cas’s heart ached and he whimpered in response to Dean’s words as his grip on the Omega tightened._

_“Please,” he cried into the hollow of Dean’s throat, but the Omega shoved him backwards, sneering at him._

_“You missed your chance,” he snapped, placing a hand on his protruding belly and turning away from the Alpha. “I don’t want you or your pups. I ought to just get an abortion and kill them while I still have the chance.”_

_“No!” Castiel cried out loudly, tears filling his eyes as he reached out to grab Dean. But as his hands closed around the Omega’s waist he disappeared, and Castiel was left holding on to nothing, his heart aching painfully in his chest._

_“Dean!_ Dean! _”_

“Wake the fuck up, Cas!” Gabriel shouted, shaking Castiel violently as he continued to scream in his sleep. Finally the Alpha’s eyes popped open and he gasped, shooting upright in bed and throwing Gabriel off of him. His chest heaved as he collapsed back onto the sheets, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he looked around and tried to regain his bearings.

“Dude,” Gabriel finally said, and Cas looked over at his brother, blushing dark red when he saw the bewildered expression on the Beta’s face. He swallowed, looking down at the sheets.

“That was the worst one yet,” he rasped, finding that his throat was raw from all of the screaming he had presumably been doing in his sleep. Gabriel frowned.

“You’re lucky that Kali left for work already, or she would have just dumped a bucket of ice water on your head,” he said, stepping forward and sitting down on the side of Castiel’s bed. He reached out tentatively, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Castiel sighed and closed his eyes, nodding weakly. “Yeah, I think I’m alright.”

“What the hell happened? You just kept on screaming ‘no’ and calling out Dean’s name over and over again.”

Castiel blushed, shrugging. “He just… I don’t know. He said he… he didn’t want me or my pups, and that he was going to kill them. And then he just… disappeared.” Castiel whimpered, turning away from his brother and burying his face in his pillows. “I just want this to end already!” he cried. Gabriel shushed him, petting his hair back and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Come on, Cassie, stop crying,” he said softly, patting his brother’s back. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get the doctors to up the dosage on your medicine or something, and everything will be alright…”

“They can’t!” Castiel cried out. “They already tried upping the dosage, and I started pissing blood. _Blood_ , Gabriel! My heart almost stopped when I looked down and there-”

“Okay, okay,” Gabriel quickly shushed his brother, scrunching up his face. “TMI, man.” He sighed, giving the Alpha’s shoulder a squeeze. “Well, then what do you want to do? Do you want me to find you a therapist, or something?”

“I just want to get through one night without dreaming about him,” Castiel mumbled into his pillows. Gabriel frowned, rubbing at his back again.

“How about you and I order some pizza or something? I’ve got ice cream and beer in the fridge… We could make ourselves a little snack.”

Castiel snorted, rolling over and offering his brother a weak smile that came out as more of a grimace than anything else. “Yeah, I could go for getting drunk right about now.”

\---

Castiel slept for most of the first few days after he had arrived in Lawrence. He felt off- his head didn’t exactly hurt- but everything in his mind was fuzzy, and it seemed like he couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than five minutes at a time. He wanted to get out of bed; he wanted to go live his life and maybe even try to find Dean, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do anything.

The truth was that he was scared. He was scared that he would never find Dean; that he would be stuck like this forever. But even more he was scared that he _would_ find Dean, and that the Omega would reject him. That he would already be mated to some other Alpha- a better Alpha than Castiel- and he would sneer at the idea of being with Castiel. Sure, he had seemed to enjoy himself that night when they first got together, but why would he ever want to be with Castiel now?

One afternoon, almost two weeks after he had moved into Gabriel’s house, Castiel shuffled out of his bedroom with sleep-mussed hair and a scruff that made it obvious he hadn’t left the house in days (specifically, he hadn’t left the house in five days, and even then Gabriel had pretty much forced him to take a walk to the store for some eggs and a ‘stretch’). He wore a stained tee-shirt and loose, low-hanging pajamas that showed just how thin he had become over the past few months.

He made his way into the kitchen, scratching at his chin as he opened up the fridge and peeked inside. He spied a bowl of leftover Chinese food in the back of the fridge and his stomach rumbled. He reached for the container, placing it on the counter and closing the refrigerator door. He placed the bowl into the microwave and started to heat it up, and was leaning against the counter when Kali walked into the room, frowning at the sight of Castiel.

“Well would you look whose back from the dead,” she said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking the other Alpha up and down. “Did you just wake up?”

“Uh...,” Castiel shrugged, looking away from his sister-in-law as the microwave beeped, signaling that his meal was ready to be eaten. He took full advantage of the distraction, pulling the plate out and waving away the steam that rose from the hot food. He heard Kali sigh and he looked up to see her frowning at him, concern written all over her features.

“Castiel, it’s nearly four o’clock in the afternoon.”

Castiel huffed and turned away from her, reaching into the kitchen drawer to grab a fork. He stuffed a heaping forkful of rice into his mouth to avoid responding to her, yelping and spitting it back out when the food burned his tongue. Kali snorted.

“Dude, you need to stop this,” she said. Cas pursed his lips.

“But I’m hungry. What am I supposed to-”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Kali cut him off, posturing herself and standing with her hands on her hips. “Maybe this isn’t my place to say, but _seriously_ Castiel, you are pathetic. You sit around the house all day; you hardly get out of bed… Your brother is worried sick about you, and frankly so am I. Not to mention that you’re stinking up the whole house with your misery…”

“So what do you want me to do, Kali? I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry that I’m pathetic, I’m sorry that I’m a bum, I’m sorry that my life is so pointless that if I-”

“Stop that,” Kali snapped, and Castiel fell silent again, casting his gaze towards the floor. “I want you to go out and get some fresh air, okay? I don’t care where you go as long as you get out of my house,” she said. Castiel grumbled back at her and Kali reached out, patting his shoulder. “This will be good for you, Castiel. I’m leaving for work in about half an hour, and I want you out of the house by the time I’m ready to leave. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cas mumbled, glaring half-heartedly at Kali as he turned away to focus on his food again. Kali sighed and walked off towards her and Gabriel’s bedroom, leaving Castiel to brood in the kitchen.

Castiel surprised himself with how much he was able to clean himself up in just half an hour. He took a shower for the first time in days, shaved and dressed himself in somewhat least somewhat respectable clothes (he hadn’t done his laundry, so needless to say he was quickly running out of clothes). He made his way out of his bedroom just as Kali was shrugging on her coat and she smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up.

“Much better, Castiel. Now hurry up- I’m going to be late for my next client, and Ms. Talbot always makes a big deal out of it when I show up late to cut her hair,” Kali said, then grinned slyly. “She gets so worked up, I’ve started showing up late on purpose. It’s rather hilarious.”

Castiel chuckled, grabbing his own coat and stepping out over the threshold of the apartment. He and Kali walked to the elevator together, standing side by side as the doors slid closed. Kali looked over at the other Alpha, smiling gently at him.

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call Gabe or me, okay?”

“Sure,” Cas nodded, though he knew that he wouldn’t be calling. Kali had already pretty much kicked him out of the apartment, and while he knew that she was doing it out of concern for him, he also knew when he was being a nuisance. He flashed Kali a small smile as the elevator opened and walked ahead of her, turning left after he had left the apartment and walking towards the sidewalk.

He found himself walking pointlessly down the sidewalk for almost ten minutes, hands stuffed inside of his coat pockets as the brisk wind ruffled his hair. He shivered, pulling his coat tighter around his body. It was already the middle of December and Cas could tell it was going to snow soon. He wondered briefly if it was going to be a white Christmas, and he frowned at the thought of spending Christmas away from Hannah and Inias for the first time.

It wasn’t that Cas didn’t want to spend the holiday with Gabriel and Kali. Quite the contrary; he loved his brother and his sister-in-law, but he had spent every Christmas since forever with his sister, and now that Inias was pregnant, he knew that he would miss the two of them even more. Cas smiled at the thought of his pregnant brother-in-law, unable to stop himself from thinking of another pregnant Omega- one who seemed to only exist in his imagination. He sighed, kicking a stray pebble off the sidewalk and into the street.

It wasn’t healthy how often he thought of Dean. Castiel knew that. He knew that he could never, in a realistic world, actually be with the Omega. He knew that Dean was his own person, with his own life, and that he had absolutely no claim on the Omega. And yet he couldn’t help how his heart ached every time he thought of him, and how his mind and body longed for him day and night.

He ambled on for another ten minutes or so, silent with his thoughts, until he reached the corner of the sidewalk. He looked up, taking in his surroundings. He had, apparently, walked all the way downtown, and was now standing at the edge of the block where the street divided in to two. He looked back and forth, trying to decide which way to go before he finally let out a heavy sigh, pulling out his phone and opening up the Uber app.

Less than ten minutes later a small black car pulled up, and Cas smiled as he slid into the back seat, leaning forward so that he could tell the driver the address he wanted to go to.

“The Roadhouse Bar and Grill, please.”

\---

When Castiel walked through the double doors that led into the bar, it looked a lot different than he had remembered it. The last time that he was there it was crowded- the whole place was thrumming with life- and the smell of sweat and arousal had filled the air. Now, when Castiel sniffed the air, all he smelled was stale cigarettes and grease. He pressed his lips together, looking around at the small amount of people inside the restaurant as he slowly strolled towards the bar.

He leaned against the oak bar once he reached it, flashing a fake smile at the bartender and gesturing for him to come over. He was a gruff looking Alpha, with light brown hair and a scruffy beard. He smiled at Cas as he walked over, wiping his hands off with a towel.

“Name’s Benny. What can I get for you, brother?” He drawled. Castiel bit his lips.

“I… Uh… A few months ago, I was here one night. It was a lot more crowded, and… Geez, I know this is a long shot, but do you know an Omega named Dean? I don’t know his last name, but he’s about… I’d say he’s about six feet tall, he’s got brownish hair, green eyes. Do you… you think you know who I’m talking about?”

Benny frowned, wiping his hands off again and tucking his towel into his waist band. He crossed his arms and rested them against the bar, licking his lips.

“Who’s askin’?”

Cas swallowed. “My name is Castiel Milton. And I know this is going to sound insane, but I was…”

Castiel continued to ramble on, but Benny wasn’t listening anymore. He was too hung up on the name- _Castiel_. He had heard it before, from Dean. He had mentioned him when he had first found out that he was pregnant. _“It was that Alpha from a few weeks ago, Castiel. He bought me this really sweet, pink margarita, remember?”_

And now this Castiel was standing here, looking for Dean. Dean, _his Omega_. And what could he possibly want him for? Nothing good, Benny was sure. It had been nearly five months, for God’s sake. What was this guy doing back here now, after all this time? Nothing good, that’s what. Benny frowned, looking up at Castiel and cutting him off from the tangent he had apparently gone on while Benny was thinking.

“Sorry, brother. I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about.”

“Oh,” Castiel said, looking extremely crestfallen. Benny almost felt bad, but then he thought of the way Dean had slept next to him the night before, warm and round and perfect, and he knew that he shouldn’t feel bad at all. Because Dean was his, and he wasn’t going to let this weird-ass Castiel guy come along and mess everything up for him.

He wasn’t going to let himself lose another pregnant mate.

Benny smiled tightly at Castiel as he walked away, making sure that the Alpha had walked through the doors to the bar before he pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through his messages. He pulled up his and Dean’s conversation, letting his fingers hover over his keyboard for a few seconds before he sighed, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and slumping against the side of the bar.

“Hey, take this order to the kitchen for me, would ya? Hot wings for Table 7,” one of the waiters said, bustling over and handing Benny a slip of paper. He smiled a little bit, though it was fleeting, and nodded.

“Sure thing, sister.”

\---

Benny decided to stop by Dean’s apartment on the way home from work that day. Ever since running into that Castiel guy at the bar he hadn’t been able to get the Omega out of his mind. He knew that Dean was probably busy dealing with his brother, as he had been for the past two weeks, but he still needed to see him. He needed to remind himself that Dean was his Omega, and that that wasn’t going to change anytime soon.

When he reached the door to Sam and Dean’s apartment he knocked twice, waiting against the doorframe for a few minutes before the door finally swung open, revealing a miserable, tired-looking Dean Winchester. He smiled a little when he saw Benny, gesturing for him to come inside.

“Hey. Sam is sleeping for now, but I’m not sure how long he’s gonna be out. His sleeping patterns have been so erratic ever since I made him stop shooting up.”

Benny frowned a little. “Did you look into getting him some professional help? I mean, I know you said he hasn’t been on this shit for very long, but heroin withdrawal can get real nasty. You’re gonna want him to have a doctor, just in case.”

Dean sighed and shook his head. “We can’t. If any of this winds up getting reported, he’ll lose everything. His scholarships, his internship, everything. We’ll have nothing.”

“I could support you,” Benny said softly, reaching out and pulling Dean close. The Omega sighed and melted into his chest, humming softly as Benny began to massage his neck.

“No, Benny. I could never- mmh, right there, fuck,” Dean groaned and tipped his head to the side, exposing his neck to the Alpha. Benny purred and leaned down, nipping at the Omega’s exposed neck and looping his arms around his heavy middle. Dean smiled.

“You’re the best, you know that?” He whispered. Benny hummed.

“How so?”

“I don’t know. I just think you’re amazing, the way you are with me and the pups. I mean, they aren’t even born yet and you treat them like they’re your own,” he smiled up at the Alpha. Benny shrugged.

“I don’t know what to say, Cher. I think you being pregnant is part of the reason I love you so much,” he said. Dean frowned slightly, but then Benny leaned in to capture his lips in a kiss, nosing at his neck and smiling against his skin. “You smell so good, I could just eat you up…”

Dean laughed, turning and kissing Benny again. The Alpha’s hands traveled down his back, towards his ass, but Dean shook him off. “Not now, baby. I’ve gotta make sure Sammy’s alright…”

“But Dean…,” Benny whined, following after him like a puppy into the kitchen. Dean smiled back at him.

“Go home, baby. I’ll text you later; maybe we can get dinner tomorrow or something.”

Benny sighed. “Fine. But if you want to come over later tonight, that’s fine by me.”

Dean smiled. “Sure,” he said, then leaned forward and pecked the Alpha’s lips. “Now go home. I’m sure that Fluffy misses you.”

“Fluffy is a goldfish!” he laughed as he left the kitchen, and a few moments later Dean heard the door close. He sighed, shuffling about the kitchen and getting ready to make dinner when his brother stumbled out of his bedroom, greasy hair hanging into his face. He growled at Dean as he walked by, scowling.

“It stinks in here.”

“Benny was just here. Why don’t you go take a shower?”

“Your boyfriend?” Sam asked, ignoring Dean’s suggestion. “You know he’s just using you for sex, right?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Sam, that’s enough. Why don’t you go take a shower?”

“What? It’s just the truth. You let everybody around you use you, Dean. You let Dad use you for money when we were kids, you let that Alpha five months ago use you and leave you knocked up with his pups, you let me use you…”

“Go take a shower, Sam.”

“And now you let Benny use you. You’re nothing but a sex doll to him, it’s so obvious. And if I cared one bit about you I might just fight him, but I don’t. Nobody care about you. You’re just a-”

“Sam, go take a shower!”

“I don’t want a damn shower!” Sam snarled, knocking everything off of the kitchen counter. The fruit bowl clattered to the floor and he turned to face Dean, snarling. Dean took a step back, though he maintained an upright posture, so that if Sam attacked him he would be able to defend himself. “You’re the one who needs a shower! You’re a filthy whore! I can’t stand you!”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do,” Sam responded, his chest heaving. “I do mean it. I mean it with all my heart, Dean. I hate you. I-” his voice got quieter and quieter, until he was sobbing through his words. “I hate you!” He cried, holding his stomach as he fell to his knees on the floor. He continued to cry desperately, dry heaving at Dean’s feet. Dean knelt down in front of him, reaching out and cupping his face. He looked at him gently, a sad frown on his face.

“Hey, Sammy, it’s alright,” he whispered. His face and neck were sticky with sweat, and his hair was damp too as Dean pushed it out of his brother’s face. Sam kept on crying, whimpering into Dean’s shirt as his older brother pulled him in for a hug.

“It hurts too much, Dean, I need it… I…”

“No, Sammy, you don’t need it. You don’t need it, okay? You just need to be strong. You’ll get through this.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into Dean’s neck, his breathing labored but finally free of tears. Dean shushed him, stroking up and down his back and kissing the side of his head.

“I know, kid. I know you are.”

“I want to go to bed forever,” he mumbled. Dean sighed, petting his hair back from his face and nodding. He was reminded so much in that instant how young Sam still was, how much life he had ahead of him, and he swore that he would get his baby brother back on track if it was the last thing he did. He smiled softly at him and helped him to his feet.

“Okay. We’ll eat dinner, and then you can go to bed. That sound good?”

“Yeah. Yeah, whatever,” he said, staring down at his feet. Dean sighed.

“Alright go sit down. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

\---

Dean was woken up at five o’clock in the morning to the feeling of pups kicking on his bladder. He grumbled as he rolled over in bed, slipping out from under the covers and out of Benny’s arms. The Alpha didn’t stir aside from emitting a loud snore. Dean smiled sleepily, grunting as he stood up and made his way to the bathroom.

Now at the end of his second trimester, things for Dean seemed to finally be coming together. He and B enny had been dating for almost two months, and he couldn’t have been happier with his relationship with the Alpha. Benny was doting and trustworthy, and he had helped Dean a great bit dealing with his pregnancy, as well as with taking care of Sam.

Sam had been improving steadily for the past couple of weeks, ever since Dean had taken his drugs away and forced him to cut all contact with Ruby. Sam had gotten over his mood swings and irritability within two weeks, though it was still rare to see him up and out of bed before noon. Together, he and Dean had decided that the best course of action for now would be for Sam to take a temporary break from college. So far it seemed to be doing Sam good, though Dean had to admit that his brother still looked more miserable and sickly these days than anything else.

Now it had been three weeks, and though he was driving Dean a little bit insane (as all little brothers will at times), Sam was doing a lot better. Tonight, Benny had stayed over after dinner. After Dean had relieved himself he waddled back to his bedroom, sliding into bed beside the Alpha and nuzzling his side. Benny shifted, yawning loudly and draping his arm over Dean’s back.

“Cher?” He whispered, shifting so that he could place his hand on Dean’s stomach, stroking over the tight skin there. Dean smiled and buried his nose in the crook of Benny’s neck.

“I’m fine, honey. Go back to sleep,” he whispered. Benny hummed, rolling on to his side and blinking sleepily up at Dean.

“The pups bothering you?” He asked quietly, nuzzling at Dean’s cheek with his beard. Dean shrugged.

“Just dancing on my bladder,” he sighed, snuggling closer into the Alpha’s chest, nosing at his neck. He inhaled his relaxing scent, sighing softly and closing his eyes again. “You know how they get.”

“Hmm,” Benny smiled into Dean’s hair, rubbing his hand back and forth on Dean’s large stomach. He let Dean’s pregnant scent envelop him, his heart filling with happiness as he let it lull him back into a relaxed state. He continued to hold onto Dean until he felt the Omega’s breath even out, and when he looked down at him he saw that he was asleep. His lips twitched up into a miniscule smile and he leaned in, kissing his forehead and resting his cheek on the top of Dean’s head.

The problem was that Benny couldn’t get back to sleep. Every second that he lay there with Dean in his arms, inhaling his scent and smelling the pups that were growing within him, he couldn’t help but feel like an intruder . Like he didn’t belong. Like he could actually smell Castiel’s scent on Dean and inside him, and it was making him feel uncomfortable and unwanted.

Benny knew that he was wrong, though. He knew that none of that was possible, and he was just feeling guilty over the fact that he still hadn’t told Dean about running into Castiel at the Roadhouse three weeks ago. Still, no matter how guilty he felt, Benny knew that he wouldn’t tell Dean. He couldn’t. Dean was his Omega- his mate- and he wasn’t going to allow this Castiel to come along and try to steal what was rightfully his.

Since going back to sleep didn’t seem feasible at this point, Benny decided to shuffle out of bed and go start on breakfast and some coffee. It was still early at five fifteen in the morning, but he knew that Dean would be awake at seven o’clock whining for coffee, so it was fine. Besides, he couldn’t very well lay in bed for two hours stinking the room up with his discomfort.

As he padded through the doorway and into Dean’s kitchen, he could see the light from the fridge illuminating the room. He peered around the corner, raising his eyebrows when he saw Sam aimlessly reaching around in the fridge . He finally seemed to decide on a container of strawberries , and as he emerged from the refrigerator with a half-eaten strawberry still in his mouth, Benny couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’re you doing up so early, brother?” He asked, closing the fridge for Sam. The young Alpha opted not to answer, instead plucking the strawberry top from his lips and frowning down at Benny. Even being nearly ten years his junior, Sam still had a good foot on the other Alpha.

“Why do you smell so upset? You and Dean get into a fight or something?” He asked. Benny huffed, muscling his way past Sam and towards the coffee pot. This made Sam growl, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to glare at Benny.

“You know, I may be a fuck up, but that doesn’t mean you can treat me like I’m a child. This was my family first, you know,” he growled out. Benny stopped, straightening his back and widening his stance for a moment before he remembered that this was just Sam he was talking to, and as much as the young Alpha puffed himself up and tried to start an argument, Benny wasn’t going to fight with the kid.

“Sam,” he sighed, turning to give him a tired look. “I’m not going to fight with you, okay? But…you’re right. You’re not a child, and I’m not going to treat you like one. So you wanna talk? Let’s talk. What do you wanna talk about?”

Sam glared for a moment, flaring his nostrils before he let out a loud huff and looked away. He kept his arms crossed over his chest.

“You want to mate with my brother.”

“Sure.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“Okay.”

Sam growled. “That’s all you have to say? Okay ?” Sam was a bit beside himself. He had expected some sort of reaction out of Benny, but this? This was just stupid. Benny sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

“Look, man, I don’t know what you want me to say. You don’t trust me? Okay, so you don’t trust me. Then I’ll just have to try and gain your trust through my actions. But I will tell you this much- I love your brother. He’s sweet, and he’s caring, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. Is there really so much wrong with that?”

“There is something wrong when the only reason you’re with him is because you get scent drunk on his pregnancy scent,” Sam snarled, stepping forward. Just before he could come any closer, though, Dean’s scent filled the kitchen and then the Omega was placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder, pulling him backwards.

“That’s enough, Sammy. What the hell did he do to you to warrant this, anyway?” He snapped, pushing his brother back against the counter and raising an eyebrow at him. Sam huffed out an annoyed sigh, looking down at the ground. Dean sighed and reached out, stroking the back of his hand over Sam’s forehead to take his temperature, but the Alpha swatted his hand away.

“Forget it, Dean. Just let me get my strawberries and go back to bed.”

The Omega sighed and watched as his brother stalked from the room. Once he knew that he was out of earshot he turned back to Benny, frowning.

“What did you say to him?” He demanded. Benny shrugged.

“Hell if I know. Kid came in here and started growlin’ at me that you were his family first and that he doesn’t trust me. All because he says I smelled upset.”

“You do,” Dean said, stepping forward and resting his head on the cushion of Benny’s shoulder. “And you left me in bed all alone, too. Is something bothering you?”

Benny shrugged, his mind immediately jumping to thoughts of Castiel, and how desperate he had seemed when he came to the Roadhouse looking for Dean. For what wasn’t the first time since that incident he started to imagine what could happen if he did let Dean seek the other Alpha out and talk to him. Imagine that Dean might leave him for Castiel, even after all he had done for Dean, and he would lose another pregnant mate again. Be alone again.

“Ben?” Dean asked, nudging his ribcage. Benny shook his head, looking down at Dean gently and carding his fingers through his hair.

“I’m fine, Cher. I just worry sometimes… about you and the pups.”

Dean smiled a little bit, leaning up to peck the Alpha’s lips. “Well stop worrying, then. The pups and I are perfectly fine… Not to mention we’ve got you protecting us,” he added, squeezing at Benny’s bicep. The Alpha chuckled, leaning down to meet Dean for another kiss.

“You sure do, sweetheart.”

\---

After a leisurely shower together and a rather rushed breakfast of toast and eggs, Benny drove Dean to work on his way back to his apartment. He pressed a chaste kiss to the Alpha’s lips on his way out of the car, smiling to himself as he swiped into the school building and made his way to the main office.

As expected, things had been a bit difficult at his job once he had started showing. Coworkers who before had eyed him with pitiful glances now glared at him as they passed in the hallways. Gordon was always actively trying to instigate a fight with him , so that he could maybe claim that Dean was ‘hormonally unstable’ and he could steal his position as Lisa’s aide, but that was just Dean’s opinion. Charlie said that she thought he was being a little overdramatic about it, but agreed that Gordon definitely didn’t like him. More often than not she was the only one on the staff who would defend him when their coworkers started to insult him, and though the Alpha had saved Dean from getting written up for bullshit reasons several times, it hadn’t been without making quite a few new enemies on the staff.

He smiled as he walked into the office, ignoring the way that the secretary at the main desk turned her nose up to him as he made his way to his mail box. He rifled through the small amount of papers there, tucking them under his arm after a moment and padding over to Charlie’s desk. He knocked on the wood with his knuckles, leaning over the back of her chair and peeking down at the Alpha as she chowed down on an Egg McMuffin.

“What’chu got there, sweetheart?” He asked, nose twitching as he felt his stomach rumble. Charlie turned towards him and scrunched up her nose.

“Ew, don’t call me that,” she said, then reached towards her key board and grabbed for the discarded McDonalds bag there. “I got you one too though, don’t worry,” she chuckled as Dean nearly dove head first into the bag. He grinned.

“Thank God for second breakfast,” he cheered, ripping the package open and taking a large bite. Charlie snorted, shaking her head as she licked grease off of her fingers.

“You know, McDonalds isn’t really the healthiest thing for you to be feeding your pups,” she commented. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, you and Benny ought to go bowling and talk about my bad food choices,” he grumbled, his mouth full of half-chewed up food. “If it were up to the two of you I’d be eating nothing but lettuce and fish.”

Charlie laughed, smiling up at Dean as he took the final bite of his sandwich, tossing the crumpled wrapper into the waste bin by her desk. “Eh, I don’t think I’d be that extreme. You wanna go grab lunch later? My Aunt just got me this sweet Panera gift card.”

“Ugh, I hate Panera,” he complained, pausing for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Don’t be surprised if I walk across the street and get myself a hamburger from the diner, though.”

“Whatever floats your boat, man,” she said, turning back to her computer to check her email. Dean patted her on the shoulder, then turned and made his way out of the office. It took him a bit longer to get to his classroom than it had when he wasn’t so heavily pregnant, but at six months pregnant Dean figured that he was a bit entitled to waddle.

He let out a heavy sigh once he made it to the classroom, dumping his stuff onto his small desk and shrugging his coat off of his shoulders. Lisa looked over at him from where she stood by the chalkboard, writing out spelling words for the students to copy down once they came in. She smiled gently at him.

“How’re you feeling?” She asked. Dean huffed, rubbing his hand back and forth over his thigh.

“Crampin’ up. You never said it was so horrible being pregnant,” he mumbled. “And I thought that Omega pregnancies were supposed to be easier than Beta ones.”

Lisa laughed, smiling softly at him. “Well, I was only carrying one pup. You’ve got three in there,” she paused, frowning. “How are you coping? With the father out of the picture, I mean. When Ben’s dad left me I know it made things a lot harder.”

Dean shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I’m dating another Alpha now, but…,” Dean sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “Sometimes it feels a little fake. Maybe too good to be true, or something. I don’t know. I just can’t be around his scent for too long before I start feeling…”

“I know what you mean,” Lisa frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the chalkboard. “I couldn’t be with anyone for the longest time when I was pregnant with Ben, and even for a while afterwards. Everybody smelled off to me.”

“Hmm,” Dean frowned, rubbing his hand over his stomach. Lisa let out a heavy sigh, glancing at the clock. It was almost 8:20, and she would have to go down soon to get the kids from the playground.

“I wouldn’t think about it too much. You said you’re with another Alpha now; you should hold on to that. Good Alphas don’t come along too often.”

Dean laughed. “Amen to that.”

The morning went by pretty fast. The kids had a science experiment and did some math problems, and Dean read a story before the kids left for recess. Lisa had lunch duty, so he walked down to the cafeteria with her.

“You want me to bring something back for you? Coffee, or something?”

“Ooh,” Lisa bit her lips. “Sure, coffee sounds nice. I’ll be up all night, but…,” she trailed off, laughing. Dean smiled.

“Okay. I know how you take it, so I’ll see you in like forty minutes.”

“Have fun,” she smiled at him, then turned her attention away when she saw a fight about to break out between a couple of fifth graders. Dean made his way out of the cafeteria quickly, meeting Charlie in the front of the building and walking with her towards his car.

Once they had placed their orders, the two of them were finally able to settle down at a table and talk . Charlie leaned forward, smiling at him slyly.

“So…,” she started, wiggling her eyebrows. “How are you and your boyfriend doing?” She asked. Dean blushed, rolling his eyes.

“We’re fine, Charlie. Seriously, you act like you’re still a teenager.”

“Hey, you know what they say. Stay gold, Ponyboy.”

Dean snorted, and looked away, shaking his head as he took a leisurely sip of his Pepsi. He made a disgusted face, setting it down on the table and pushing it away from himself.

“See? This is why I hate coming here. They can’t even get their soda right,” he grumbled, glaring at the drink. Charlie rolled her eyes, ignoring his words and instead leaning closer to him.

“Oh, come on. Don’t act so prim and proper… I know you’ve got something special going on with this Alpha,” she smirked a little. “Every time you talk about him you get all flustered. So spill it.”

Dean sighed and shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips as he began to speak. “I don’t know. He keeps talking about mating. But--

“Oh my God!” Charlie exclaimed before he could finish, banging her fist on the table and bouncing up and down in her seat. The manager glared at them from behind the counter, and several other patrons looked up at them with odd looks on their faces. Dean shushed her, slapping her wrist a couple times to try and get her to calm down.

“Shut up, dude. I don’t even know if I want to mate with him,” he said in a rush. Charlie quieted down immediately, a concerned frown on her face. Dean’s own frown mirrored hers, and his cheeks turned red. He looked down at his lap. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant… You know, I… Uh…”

“Hey, hey, don’t backtrack like that Winchester,” she said, reaching out and touching his hand. “If you don’t want to mate with him, that’s okay. I just got excited because I…”

“Because you think that I should be a good Omega for once in my life and get a mate. It’s okay, I know that’s the way things are,” he said quietly. Charlie made a disgusted face at him.

“Oh, shut the hell up. You know I would never say that to you,” she said, squeezing down on his wrist. He looked down at her hand and she slackened her grip a bit, though she didn’t let go. She stared him right in the face, and Dean had to resist the urge to cower away from her. “You don’t need a mate to define you, Dean. You know that. Or at least, I hope you do.”

Dean sighed, looking down at the table. The server bustled over with their food a moment later, and Charlie released his wrist in favor of picking up her spoon. Dean looked down at his food in disgust, the idea of eating anything suddenly repulsing him.

“Sammy doesn’t like him,” he said after a few moments.

“Hmm,” Charlie hummed around a mouthful of Cheddar Broccoli Soup, swallowing it down as her eyebrows creased together. “That’s weird. Sam usually gets along with everyone, right?”

“I guess. He’s been having some trouble lately, though, so I don’t know what to think,” Dean sighed, slumping back in his seat. Charlie frowned, picking up her spoon again and stirring her soup.

“Yeah, you started telling me about that. How’s he doing now?”

“Better,” Dean said, nodding. “A lot better. I think it’s been rough on him, but as long as he’s clean and sober, I’d say he’s better off for the long run.”

“That’s true,” Charlie nodded, taking a sip of her drink. Dean sighed, picking at his salad with his fork. He nibbled at his chicken, poking at the green leaves on his plate. A few moments of silence passed between them before Charlie cleared her throat.

“So why does he hate your boyfriend?”

“He doesn’t hate him,” Dean quickly said, looking up at Charlie. “He just doesn’t trust Benny for some reason. They got into a fight this morning.”

“Have you talked to Sam about it?”

“Nah,” Dean sighed. “He just grumbled and went back to bed after I broke things up. He smelled really pissed, though. I’m still not entirely sure what he and Benny were talking about that got him so worked up.”

“Hmm.”

“What’re you thinking?” Dean asked, chewing on his chicken slowly and forcing himself to swallow. Charlie shrugged.

“I don’t know. I just don’t think you should blow off your brother’s opinions . Sam is smart, even if he’s made some bad decisions lately. I just think you might want to talk to him about this,” she paused. “At least, talk to him about it before you take the guy’s mating bite or something.”

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. “Trust me; I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon.”

“Hey,” Charlie smiled, raising up her plastic cup of Mountain Dew . “You do you.”

\---

“What the hell are you watching?” Dean asked as he walked through the door of their apartment later that afternoon, frowning when he saw his brother splayed out on the couch, a bowl of popcorn sitting on his soft stomach and his hair falling into his face.

“The “ Free The Nipples Omega and Women’s Rights ” movement is holding a rally in New York City this afternoon,” Sam said, not looking up from the television. “I figured I might be able to catch a glimpse of some freed nipples, or something, but CBS keeps blurring them out.”

“Try Fox. They’re all for exploiting women and Omegas,” Dean said with a small smirk. Sam laughed, finally looking up at his brother.

“How was work?” He asked. Dean shrugged, walking over to Sam and brushing his hair out of his face. Sam scowled, swatting his brother’s hands away.

“You need a haircut,” Dean said. Sam growled.

“Yeah, and so do you. What’s for dinner?”

“I don’t know, man. Order a pizza or something. I need to go lay down.”

Sam’s head popped up over the back of the couch at that, and he turned to look at his older brother. “You okay?”

“My back keeps spazzing out. I read online that it’s probably Braxton hicks or something… I just need a nap.”

Sam frowned. “Okay,” he cleared his throat, looking down at his lap. “Hey, Dean?”

“Hmm?” The Omega looked up, eyebrows raised. Sam’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed thickly.

“I’m, uh, I’m sorry about this morning. Something about Benny’s scent just set me off but I… Well, I didn’t mean to start anything with him. I’m sorry if I fucked things up between you two or something.”

Dean licked his lips, then shook his head. “Nah, Sammy, all is well. But thanks for the apology,” he smiled at his little brother, heading off to his bedroom for a cat nap as Sam began to dial the phone number for the local pizzeria.

It only took a few minutes for Dean to drift off to sleep, and for the first time since he had become pregnant , he found himself dreaming of blue eyes and a sexy smile that belonged to an Alpha he once knew named Castiel. [Note: women fall ill, but become pregnant (unless you’re considering pregnancy to be an illness)]

He woke up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, the pups kicking at his stomach. He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand over his stomach and closing his eyes.

“Alright, guys. Calm down,” he grumbled. “It was just a damn dream.”

\---

The week went by in a blur. Dean hung out at Benny’s house on Tuesday night, but headed home early because Sam called him complaining that he was feeling lightheaded. He spent the night by Sam’s side, until he finally fell asleep on Sam’s bed, his brother shivering next to him.

On Wednesday morning, as Dean was brushing his teeth, he realized just how badly he needed a haircut. His hair was a mess; unruly and tangled, and definitely needed some attention. He decided that he would stop by the salon on the way home from school, then pick up dinner for himself and Sam. Maybe he would even call up Benny and invite him over, too.

The kids were especially unruly when he got to school, and by the time that lunch rolled around Dean and Lisa were both exhausted. Neither of them had lunch duty that day, so they wound up eating together in the classroom.

“How’s your brother doing with school?” Lisa asked, munching on a carrot. Dean shrugged.

“He’s on a temporary break from college right now,” he paused to take a bite of his sandwich before he added a false explanation. “Not enough money.”

“Oh, that sucks. My nephew had to drop out for that same reason,” she said. Dean hummed and nodded, chewing his sandwich slowly and rubbing his stomach with his free hand. The taste was disgusting; the ham too sweet and the cheese flavorless. With a heavy sigh, it occurred to Dean that he had become spoiled by Benny’s excellent home cooking.

“Yeah, but the kid needs the break. Besides, having him at home will probably be better, for when the pups finally come,” he said. Lisa smiled.

“Is he excited to become an uncle?”

“I think so,” Dean said, frowning slightly as he stared down at his sandwich. “He’s an Alpha, you know? I’m still not sure how he feels about the fact that I don’t have a mate,” he sighed, setting his disgusting sandwich down and glaring at it. “He’s been supportive, though. Never tried to make my decisions for me, anyway.”

“That’s good,” Lisa said, nodding awkwardly. Dean clapped his hands together after a few awkward moments, smiling over at her.

“So, how’s Ben doing?”

They spent the rest of lunch talking about Lisa’s son, thankfully, as the focus of the conversation moved away from Dean. The class was much more settled down when they returned from recess, and Dean and Lisa were able to lead the children in a story-telling project for the rest of the afternoon.

At 3:30 the day was over, and Dean quickly made his way out to his car, squeezing into the driver’s seat and heading out onto the highway. He realized, as he squirmed in his seat, that he was starting to get too big for the car . If his stomach kept growing at this rate, Sam was going to have to start driving him to work. He scowled at the thought, nearly missing his exit because he was getting so worked up over the thought of not being able to drive his baby.

When he waddled into the hair salon, he wasn’t surprised by the shocked expression on Kali’s face. She put down the broom, placing her hands on her hips and looking Dean up and down.

“You got huge,” she said. Dean pursed his lips and shrugged his coat off of his shoulders, dropping it on one of the waiting chairs.

“Way to put it nicely,” he said dryly, resting a hand on his huge stomach as he walked over to her. She smiled a little, reaching out and stroking her fingers through his long hair.

“Your hair got long too,” she said, leading him to the sink and helping him get set up to wash his hair. She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth, sighing heavily and turning the water on. “You should have come to me sooner.”

Dean chuckled. “What’s the matter, doc? Is it fatal?” He asked, looking up at the hairdresser. “Am I gonna die of terminally long hair?” 

“You’re starting to look like a hippie,” she complained, testing the water temperature on her hand before she pressed the nozzle to Dean’s scalp. He laughed. 

“Yeah? You should see my little brother. His hair is as long as yours.” 

“Seriously?” Kali asked, scrunching up her nose. Dean smirked. 

“Yeah. It’s so gross, dude-” He stopped when the tinkle of a bell cut him off, signaling that the door to the shop was opening. Almost immediately the scent of watermelon and honey hit his nose, and he swore that he knew that sweet scent from somewhere. That scent that he around with him every day; in the pups growing inside of him and in his distant memory. 

“You forgot your cell phone at the apartment. Gabe tried to call you and we found it in the living room… He said I needed to get out, so he sent me to bring it to you,” a rough voice mumbled. And that was when Dean knew, instantly, that there was no mistake. His eyes popped open and he shot up in his seat, wet hair sticking to his forehead and neck as he stared at the door, where there he stood, _his Alpha_ , Castiel. 

He looked different than Dean remembered him. He was unshaven and pale, now, and it looked like he hadn’t eaten in days (truthfully, he hadn’t, but Dean didn’t know that). The blue in his eyes had faded to a dismal gray, and he looked like he could use a good year’s worth of sleep. But he was still there; still the Alpha that Dean had slept with all those months ago; still Castiel. And Dean was surprised and terrified by the way that his heart filled with joy at the sight of him. 

“Castiel,” he breathed. Out. By then Cas’s eyes had gone wide, his mouth falling open as he stared at Dean in absolute wonder. His eyes traveled downward, to Dean’s gravid belly, before flickering back up to meet the Omega’s green eyes. He scented the air, and from where Dean was sitting, the Alpha looked like he was trembling. A small smile crept across his face after a few moments, happy tears filling his eyes. Dean stood up, swallowing thickly and trying to move towards the Alpha, but he seemed to be rooted to the spot where he stood. 

“Dean,” he gasped, choking on the word as he moved to step forward. He didn’t get more than a foot before everything went black and he hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First note, and it's an important one: **I edited Chapters 3, 4 and 7 so that Kali is Dean's hairdresser, not Gabriel.**
> 
> Now on to the more excited business... I felt that the chapter song would be appropriate, not only for this chapter, but for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that I sort of RickRolled all of you today when I posted this little blurb in place of Chapter 14:
> 
>  
> 
> _Dean took the corncob up his hole gratefully, but after they were driving home with benny's thick blobs of cum inside of him he decided that he could not deal with the anger inside of him, much like he couldn't deal with the blobs of cum inside of him. He opened up the window and barrel rolled out of the vehicle until a tractor trailer ran him over but he survived. The baby was born on dean's birthday on the side of the road in a ditch filled with cow manor and they lived happily ever after_
> 
>  
> 
> So... Let me start off by apologizing (although i still think the whole ordeal is hilarious and will not apologize for thinking so). While finishing up Chapter 14 I was facetiming my best friend and asked him for some advice on how to make the story progress. He suggested a plot development along the lines of what I wrote up there, and in between tears of laughter, we decided that I should post the story... Evidently not a good idea, because y'all took it so seriously and started talking about how I must have been hacked. I wasn't, don't worry.
> 
> Anyway, I hope that this 21 page chapter full of angst will make up for it!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Don't You Forget About Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A) by Simple Minds

_ “I _ _ just called 911. They said they’re on their way. You know CPR?” _

_ “Yeah, the school requires it. But I think he’s fine… His pulse is normal and he’s breathing okay. He just fainted.” _

_ “You two know each other?” _

_ “Uh, sort of. We, uh…” _

_ “You hooked up.” _

_ “Um, yeah. He’s the… Well, I’m fairly certain, almost 100%, that he’s the father.” _

_ “H _ _ mm. He’s been dealing with a false mating for months because of you.” _

_ “Yeah, well things haven’t been exactly peachy for me either, you know…” _

\---

Castiel was floating. That was the only way to describe what he was feeling at the moment; absolute bliss. Dean’s sweet, pregnant scent was surrounding him, wrapping around him and warming him from the inside out, and he didn’t think he’d ever felt more alive than he did at that moment. Distantly he was aware of voices talking in his ear, and warm hands touching his skin, but he really couldn’t bring himself to care. He was in heaven.

The room was bright when he opened his eyes. Too bright. Everything seemed to spin before him as he woke up, grunting and jerking away from the hand that was touching his face. But a moment later he realized whose hand it was- that it was Dean’s hand- and he leaned back into the touch, purring loudly.

“I think he’s waking up,” Dean’s voice was soft like cotton, and Cas swore that he could almost taste it. His lips twitched up into a small smile, and heard Kali laughing.

“Yeah, looks like he’s happy,” she said. Cas shifted again and forced himself to open up his eyes, a blurry figure coming into focus before him. His head was swimming, and somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that he must have hit it on the linoleum when he had collapsed. He blinked rapidly, grunting as his vision came into focus. And then there he was, staring face-to-face with Dean- with  _ his _  Omega- and instantly he felt his heart beat pick up. The smell of leather and the woods hit his nose and he immediately felt his body responding to the scent that it considered to be his mate’s, his slacks tightening considerably. He ignored it, though, trying to sit up when Dean placed a hand on his chest, keeping him on the floor.

“Woah there,” he said, his voice rough and smooth and like music to Cas’s ears. He had done nothing but dream of that sweet, sexy voice for months, and now he was finally hearing it again, in person.  For a moment, he considered pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, but decided against it when Dean spoke again. “You gotta take it easy, Little  Alpha.” Cas swallowed thickly and laid back, his eyes still locked on Dean. He glanced down at Dean’s stomach, reaching forward before he let his hand pause midair.

“Can I..?” He whispered hoarsely, and he sounded so hopeful, so  _ vulnerable _ , that Dean couldn’t do anything but say yes. He watched as Cas’s hand slowly reached out,  lying flat on his stomach and stroking over the tight skin there. Dean bit his lips to contain his smile, watching the wonder and amazement bloom on Cas’s face.

“I dreamed…,” he started, then stopped mid-sentence, words caught in his throat. It was then that Dean first noticed that Cas’s bright blue eyes were glazed over, his pale lips trembling as he smiled. Dean shushed him, reaching out and placing his hand over Cas’s on his stomach. A moment later he felt a soft thud against their joined hands, and Dean grinned widely at the look of wonder on the Alpha’s face.

“Triplets,” Dean said. Cas gasped and he looked away from the Omega’s bulging stomach, staring up at his face.

“And they’re all mine?” He breathed. Dean chuckled, nodding, and Castiel choked as he pulled his hand away from the Omega’s stomach to wipe away his tears. Dean bit his lips nervously, shifting a bit where he was crouched on the floor.

“I wanted to find you, but I didn’t know your name or anything.”

“Castiel Milton,” he quickly offered, looking up at Dean with blazing blue eyes. He swallowed thickly after that, his eyes roving over Dean’s body and back down to his gravid stomach. I tried to find you too,” Cas whispered. He sniffed loudly and pinched at the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop crying. He didn’t want to cry  in front of Dean; he wanted to be strong for his Omega. He wanted to show him that he was a good, strong Alpha. “I tried so hard, Dean. I’m so sorry…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Dean said softly, smiling down at Cas. The Alpha offered him a small, timid smile, holding his hand up again.

“Can I feel them again?”

They stayed like that until the paramedics arrived a few minutes later, at which point Dean returned to Kali’s barber’s chair so that she could cut his hair, and Cas was checked out by the  EMTs . They left once they had cleared him, one of the older Beta EMT’s commenting, “nothing wrong with you aside from maybe an intense state of  arousal,” to which Cas had coughed loudly and hid his face from Dean. The Omega could only smirk into the mirror as Kali cackled behind him.

Castiel was quiet. Dean guessed that the whole situation was probably really awkward for him, after all. He was just some random Alpha that Dean had hooked up with; it wasn’t his fault that Dean’s suppressants had failed. It didn’t matter how Dean  felt; Cas had no obligation to him. And aside from that, Dean already had an Alpha. He had Benny.

His thoughts were interrupted by Cas clearing his throat, and he looked up to see Cas standing beside the chair, fidgeting nervously. The  EMTs had only cleared him about five minutes ago, and he was supposed to be sitting, but apparently he wasn’t going to listen to their instructions.

“Do you know the… uh, the pups’ genders, yet?” He asked. Dean shook his head and Kali scowled, holding him straight as she snipped away at his hair.

“No, I don’t know yet. I have a doctor’s appointment next week, though.” He said, fidgeting nervously. Castiel cleared his throat, reaching up to scratch at the side of his neck. He stroked a hand over his stubble, frowning slightly.

“I… Well, Dean, I just want you to know, I want to… I want to be there, for… Well…,” he trailed off, nervously looking down at his feet. Dean sighed heavily; he had known this would happen.

“Look, Cas, I get this must be a big shock. I really do get it. But you don’t have to do anything, okay? I just want you to know that. I’m not gonna… tie you down, or some shit… It was my fault that I got pregnant in the first place, and you don’t have to be involved at all. I’m not gonna force you into anything.”

Cas frowned. “Your fault? Did you forget to take your  suppressants that day , or something?” He asked, and though his tone wasn’t accusatory, there was definitely a hint of Alpha authority to it. Dean tried to ignore the fact that it made him want to roll over and expose his neck to the other man. Instead he simply shrugged in response.

“No, they failed.”

“Well then it’s not your fault. And- and you’re not tying me down, Dean. I want to be here for you and these pups. I’ve been so,  _ so _  miserable these past few months, so  _ lonely _ , and now I know why. It’s because I was away from my children; away from my…” he paused, biting his tongue before he very slowly said, “from you.”

Dean frowned. “Look buddy…”

“I know this is a lot, Dean. And I know you’ll probably think I’m crazy, but please trust me. Please give me a chance. I’ve wanted a family for so long, and I…,” he swallowed, looking down almost shamefully. “I don’t feel so lonely when I’m around you.”

Dean’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat, and it was painfully hard for him to resist the urge to reach out and wrap his arms around Castiel; to comfort him. He was quiet for a few moments before he finally spoke. “I’m not gonna just… mate with you, or anything. In case that’s what you’re thinkin’.”

“No, no, of course not,” Castiel  said quickly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I hardly know you, and you hardly know me. I’m not one of those jerk Alphas who thinks I have some sort of right to an Omega just because our biology matches up or something… All I’m asking for is this chance to be a father. To have a family. I’ve…,” Cas seemed to hesitate for a moment. “These past few months for me have been miserable. My body has been rebelling against me ever since that night we spent together and I left you. I’ve been miserable. And I feel like if I let you go again, I will never forgive myself,” he took a deep, steadying breath. “I’m not saying that I want to mate with you. I don’t want anything from you… Just a chance.”

“Oh my God, just kiss already,” Kali groaned behind them. Dean blushed hard and Castiel scratched at the back of his neck, shifting nervously on his feet.

“I have a boyfriend,” Dean sputtered out. Cas paused to look at him for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

“Okay. I mean, so do I,” he said awkwardly. Dean’s eyes widened, and he was surprised by the way that his heart clenched up at Cas’s words. Was he really jealous? Was he serious right now?

“Really?” He asked, and it came out much more harshly than he had intended. Kali bristled behind him and Cas hunched his shoulders in response, shaking his head. He smiled apologetically, his cheeks darkening even more than they had before.

“No, I was just… kidding,” he said, looking away. Dean frowned a little, biting his lips.

“Well, anyway,” Dean cleared his throat. “I appreciate what you just said, and I also appreciate that you want to be involved with the kiddos. Why don’t you, uh, give me your cell? We can get lunch later in the week, or something.”

“Okay,” Cas smiled a little bit. “Will your… uhm, will your mate be there?” He asked, an almost jealous, extremely  _ Alpha _  tone bleeding into his voice as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He hadn’t intended it, but it made Dean frown nonetheless.

“He’s not my mate.”

“Oh,” Cas said, and though he acted surprised, Dean was sure he wasn’t imagining the relief in Cas’s tone. The Alpha smiled a little, handing his phone to Dean. “Just text yourself and then we can work something out.”

“You’re all done,” Kali said just as Dean handed Cas’s phone back to him, setting her scissors down and ruffling Dean’s hair. Stray clipping went flying through the air and the Omega squeezed his eyes shut, glaring at Kali in the mirror as she pulled the towel off of his neck. She stepped away so that Dean could heave himself out of the chair. Cas danced around on his feet like he didn’t know what to do with himself until finally he reached out to help Dean up out of the chair, to which Dean responded by waving him off and awkwardly stating that ‘he could do it’ on his own.

Dean walked over to the chair where he had draped his coat earlier, digging out his wallet and handing Kali thirty dollars. She thanked him and went about sweeping the floor, and then Dean and Cas were standing alone by the door, staring at each other. They both opened their mouths to speak first, and Cas quickly put his hands up.

“You first.”

Dean smiled minutely. “It was nice seeing you again, Cas,” he said softly, hand resting on his stomach. Cas smiled back at him, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m glad I saw you again, too. I… Mmm,” He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence, eyes flickering down to Dean’s stomach. “I’m glad that you’re okay. And the pups are okay.”

Not a second later, Dean surged forward and wrapped his arms around Cas’s neck, hugging him tightly. Cas’s breath hitched in surprise and he wrapped his arms around Dean, hug turning from tentative to passionate in a matter of seconds. He squeezed Dean’s body close to his, burying his nose in the Omega’s hair and inhaling his scent like he would never smell it again. Part of him thought that maybe he wouldn’t. And the best part of it all- Dean let him.

\---

By the time that Dean had reached his car and was on the way home, what had just happened at the hair salon finally started to sink in. He had run into Castiel.  _ His _  Castiel;  _ father of his pups _  Castiel. He couldn’t help the childlike giddiness that overtook him for a few moments, and he was glad that there was nobody else in the car to see him grinning so wide over some silly Alpha.

_ Not just any Alpha. _  Your _  Alpha _ .

That thought seemed to sober Dean up, and he immediately frowned at his reflection  in the rearview mirror. Castiel wasn’t his Alpha. He wasn’t even his boyfriend. He was nobody to Dean, and even though that was a somewhat harsh thing to think of somebody, Dean had to admit that it was the truth. Castiel was just some strange Alpha who he’d had sex with six months ago… Who even knew if he was a good guy or not?  After all, hadn’t he seen the way that Cas had gotten all growly and Alpha-like when he mentioned that he had a boyfriend? He was probably just another possessive knothead like all the rest- out to stake their claim on all the Omegas in the world.

And all of that was aside from the fact that Dean already had an Alpha; an  Alpha whom he loved very much and who had been by his side throughout his entire pregnancy. Benny was a good man and an even better partner, and Dean wasn’t going to throw away everything that he had with him over some love ‘em and leave ‘em stranger. Benny was good; he was safe and he was trustworthy and Dean wasn’t going to let that go any time soon.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that Dean almost missed his exit on the highway, and as he shifted lanes he decided to dig his phone out of his pocket and give Benny a call. He only had to wait for about three rings before the Alpha picked up, his smooth voice floating through the speakers.

“Hey Cher, wassup?” He asked. Dean suddenly felt a lump forming in his throat, and he wasn’t sure what to say. What was he supposed to say,  after all? _ ”Hey babe, nothing much, I only just ran into the Alpha whose children I’m carrying and now we have a standing lunch date for next week.” _  He couldn’t say that!

“Dean?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m here. Sorry, just got distracted by the road.”

“You’re driving? If traffic’s bad you shouldn’t be on the phone, babe.”

“No, no, traffic is fine,” he swallowed. “I just- uh. I wanted to hear your voice, you know?” He said. He could practically  _ hear _  Benny smiling into his receiver, and his Alpha’s quiet chuckle actually helped relax him a bit.

“Well, I’m here. You wanna talk about something? I was just about to go on break anyway,” he said, and Dean could hear him moving around on the other end of the line. He sighed, making a noise of discontent in the back of his throat as his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Yeah, I… I actually needed to talk to you about something,” he swallowed, pausing for a moment before speaking. “I ran into Castiel. The- uh- the Alpha who got me pregnant.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and Dean was almost starting to worry that Benny had hung up when he spoke again.

“What did he say?”

_ What did he say? _  Why would Benny care what Cas had said to him? He had been expecting Benny to at least be a little shocked, maybe even a little jealous, but to ask what Cas had said to him? Dean wracked his brain to remember what he had even talked about, thinking for a few seconds before he made an aggravated sound in the back of his throat.

“I don’t know, man. He just said that he wanted to be a part of the pups’ lives. He wants to meet up with me sometime later this week, so we can talk a little more,” he sighed softly. “He knows that I have a boyfriend, though. He seemed fine with it, I guess.”

Benny was quiet on the other end for a few moments before he cleared his throat. “I, uh… I have to go. Manager’s yellin’ at me to get back to work.”

Dean frowned. “I thought you were going on break?” He asked, but then there was a click on the other end, and Benny was gone. Dean pulled his phone away from his ear, staring at the blank screen, pain throbbing in his chest. Benny had just hung up on him. For no reason. Suppressing a whimper, he dropped his phone back onto the passenger seat, lips wobbling as he tried to focus on the road.

Dean had never been one for crying, especially over emotions. Sure, when he found out that he was pregnant he had cried, but that was because he had been scared. He blamed his pregnancy hormones for the tears that were running down his cheeks now, but he knew that he was lying to himself. He was hurt and upset, and he had nobody to blame but himself for it. Because he could twist this any way to blame someone else, but the truth was that it was all his fault. In a matter of months he had gone from  living a perfectly happy, single life to being six months pregnant with  _ bastard _  triplets, and now he had somehow managed to upset Benny –the only person who had selflessly been there for him since day one- enough to hang up on him.

He was still sniffling when he trudged into his and Sam’s apartment, dropping his stuff by the door and heading straight for the bathroom. Sam was sitting on the couch typing something on his laptop, and he frowned as Dean walked by without a word, standing up and following him to the bathroom. The door nearly hit him in the face as Dean slammed it closed, and he knocked on it gently, calling out his brother’s name.

“Dean, you okay? You’re upset.”

“M’fine,” he grumbled through the door. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Dude, I can smell you crying through the freaking door. Cut the crap.”

“I said I’m fine!” Dean yelled, and then the door swung open to reveal Dean standing there, cheeks blotchy and smudged with tear stains. Sam frowned, nose crinkling.

“You are  _ not _  fine. What happened to you? Did someone hurt you? You smell like a strange Alpha,” he asked, his hazel eyes lighting up with anger, Alpha red threatening to bleed into them. Dean huffed and rolled his eyes, muscling his way past his brother and towards the kitchen.

“It’s nothing, Sam. Definitely not what you’re thinking, anyway,” he mumbled. Sam frowned, following after his brother like a child. He was about to open up his mouth again when Dean sighed. “It was Benny, okay? He hung up on me in the car and I got emotional. But it was my fault.”

Sam’s eyebrows knit together. “Your…?” He trailed off, his jaw setting into a firm line. “You didn’t cheat on him, did you?”

“What?” Dean snapped. “No!” He snorted. “I may be a lot of things, Sammy, and I may be a whore, but I am not a cheater.”

Sam frowned. “Dean, you’re not a whore…”

“Really, Sam?” Dean raised an eyebrow, opening up the fridge and pulling out all of the vegetables he would need to start making chicken soup. “I’m supposed to believe you really believe that? After all the things you’ve said to me?”

“When I was high!”

“And how often was that, exactly?” Dean practically snarled. Sam’s mouth snapped shut and his nostrils flared as he looked away from his brother. A few moments of silence passed between the brothers, until finally Dean huffed and turned back to his cutting board to chop up celery, carrots and onions.

“You know, of all people I would think that you would understand that sometimes we make mistakes-”

“Oh, wow, Sam! I didn’t realize I had made any mistakes in my life. No, I thought that I was perfect, actually,” Dean said sarcastically. Sam growled.

“Just because you had a fight with your sleazy boyfriend doesn’t give you the right to be nasty to me, Dean! I swear to God, you’re acting like a five year old right now. Now you know that I didn’t mean it when I said those nasty things to you, and you’re bringing them up anyway because you want to deflect from the fact that you and that fucking piece of shit Benny are fighting!” Sam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Would you at least look at me while I’m talking to you?”

Dean glanced over at him, rolling his eyes and putting a pot on the stove. He sighed and shook his head, pulling some chicken from the fridge and setting it down on the counter. “Leave me alone,” he grumbled. Sam groaned and turned away, stalking from the kitchen and back to his bedroom.

He was in the middle of pounding the chicken roughly with a meat tenderizer when there was a loud knock at the door. He frowned, setting the tenderizer down and rinsing his hand off, scowling when the knocking continued.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He yelled, waddling out into the living room. He yanked the front door open without checking through the peephole, looking up with surprise at Benny. The Alpha smiled timidly at Dean, resting his hand against the door and biting his lips.

“Can I come in, Cher?”

“Uh… Yeah. Yeah,” Dean said breathily, stepping to the side and letting the Alpha into his house. Benny closed the door behind him as he entered the apartment, flashing Dean another small smile. Dean didn’t smile back. “So… You hung up on me earlier. Care to explain?”

Benny sighed, turning away from Dean and walking over to the couch. Dean followed after him, taking a seat beside him and looking up at him expectantly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was just…,” Benny trailed off, frowning down at his lap. Dean swallowed thickly, reaching out tentatively and placing his hand over Benny’s. He gave the Alpha’s fingers a quick squeeze and Benny looked up to meet Dean’s gaze.

“Are you upset with me?” Dean asked quietly. Benny nearly did a double take. Dean thought that he was upset with him? Couldn’t he tell that it was just the opposite- that he was upset with himself? “You smell angry,” he whispered.

“No, Dean, no,” Benny quickly said, turning his hands so that he could grasp the Omega’s hands in his own. Dean seemed to deflate as he sighed, leaning forward and resting his head on Benny’s shoulder. The Alpha wrapped his arms around him instinctively, pressing his nose to Dean’s scalp and inhaling his scent deeply.

“Good,” Dean whispered against his neck. “’Cause, you know, I’m not leaving you anytime soon. I’m not… I don’t want to be with him, or anything. He may be the father of my pups or whatever, but you’re the  one who’s been here for me this whole time. You’re the one I’ve been able to trust and rely on. You’re the one that I want to mate with.”

Benny was going to throw up. He really was. He felt his stomach turn and he turned away from Dean, letting go of the pregnant Omega as he doubled over himself. Dean frowned, reaching out and grabbing on to his shoulder.

“Honey? What’s the matter?”

Benny shook his head, letting out a shaky breath as his stomach turned again. Dean wanted to mate with him.   _ Dean _  wanted to  _ mate _  with  _ him _ . And while on any other day this would be a dream come true, right now Benny felt like it was more of a nightmare. Because Dean wanted to mate with him because he was trustworthy, and Benny was anything but trustworthy. He was a liar. A dirty, disgusting liar who had known that Castiel was in town and looking for Dean for almost a month, and he hadn’t told him. And now it was all going to blow up in his face, because surely Dean would find out from Castiel eventually, and he wouldn’t want to mate with him anymore. Quite the opposite, in fact- he would hate him. 

“Do I need to call 911? Benny, you’re shaking,” Dean asked, his voice urgent. Benny swallowed thickly, shaking his head.

“No, Dean, I-” he gulped, wiping the sweat off of his face and rubbing at his eyes. “I need to tell you something. I… I’ve been keeping something from you. I know I should have told you, and you’re going to be mad at me, but I couldn’t… I couldn’t risk losing you, or letting somebody steal you from me, after Andrea and… and…”

“Benny, calm down. You’re not making any sense,” Dean said, moving his hand from  Benny’s shoulder to his cheek, cupping his cheek. Benny swallowed, his dark brown eyes flickering up to meet Dean’s before he looked away again, whimpering quietly.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I’m sorry,” he said, ducking his head and wiping at his eyes. “I just can’t keep this from you anymore. I feel so guilty every time I look at you…”

“What is it?” Dean asked, frowning. Benny shook his head, still looking away from the Omega.

“A few weeks ago… Almost a month ago, actually, I was on duty at the Roadhouse. And around lunchtime, this… This Alpha came in. And I-I recognized him, and I knew who he  was.” Tears filled Benny’s eyes as Dean continued to frown at him. “It was Castiel. He told me his name. And I knew he was… he was the father of your pups, and he was looking for you. But I-I told him…,” he swallowed thickly, barely holding back a sob. “I pretended I didn’t know who you were, and I sent him away. And I never told you, because-”

“You  _ what _ ?” Dean hissed, mouth hanging open. Benny started shaking, raking his fingers through his hair and shrugging at Dean. 

“I-I don’t know, okay? I wasn’t thinking. I was scared.”

“Scared of what?” Dean asked, his nose crinkling up as he stared at Benny in shock. Benny shook his head.

‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I just thought that… If you and him met, he would steal you from me. I don’t know why I thought that. I just… I couldn’t risk losing you. I already lost one pregnant mate, and I couldn’t lose you too.”

Dean’s frown turned to a scowl, and his jaw clenched as the smell of Dean’s anger filled the room. “I’m not Andrea,” he snapped, placing a hand on his stomach. Benny opened his mouth to reply, but Dean cut him off before he could speak. “I’m not even your mate. And even if I was… I can’t believe that you would keep this information from me; make a decision like this for me. I don’t get it- do you not me or something?”

“It’s not that! I-I don’t know, okay? It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust him. And I know that I had no right to keep this information from you, but I wasn’t going to let this Castiel guy come along and- and steal my Omega! I did this because I love you.”

“Yeah? Well that’s some fucked up kind of love if I ever saw it,” Dean growled, jabbing Benny in the chest with his finger. “That’s fucking abusive, is what it is. You think I can’t handle myself or something? You think that just because I’m an Omega, I need a big Alpha like you to make my decisions for me?”

“I think you have a big Omega chip on your shoulder, is what I think. None of this has to do with you being an Omega!”

“You just said it, Benny! You just said that you did all of this- kept me from even having the chance to meet the father of my children- because you didn’t want somebody to ‘steal your Omega’. But I’m not your Omega! I’m not anybody’s Omega! I’m just another fucking person, like you or Sam or Castiel, for Christ’s sake!”

“I never said that you weren’t a person! And I never… I never meant to take that choice away from you, okay? I never meant to impound on your freedom. But I was just so scared-”

“Because you don’t trust me.”

“Because I didn’t want to lose another mate!” He yelled, tears fresh in his eyes. Dean’s lips curled up in disgust as he looked over at Benny, who was now crying. “You don’t know what it’s like for me, Dean. I used to live every day grieving the loss of my babies and over Andrea leaving me. But then I met you, and it was like… I was given another chance. A chance to be a father. I couldn’t let myself lose that.”

Dean shook his head, looking at Benny with a horrified expression on his face. “You’ve been using me this whole time?” He whispered. Benny’s eyes widened.

“No! I just… I-I-”

“You’ve been using me as a surrogate for your unborn children and your ex-mate,” Dean said, and suddenly he felt like he needed to throw up. “You’ve been using me as a replacement for Andrea. And I thought… I was going to let you…,” he trailed off, his stomach turning as he began to shake. He doubled over, holding himself around the torso and closing his eyes as he rocked back and forth.

“Dean?” Benny asked, concerned, but Dean could only hum in response, his whole body tingling as he tried  to rein himself in. He was still  nauseous , but now there was something else too, and he could feel the tips of his ears burning as his whole body began to vibrate. He gasped in shock when he shifted and felt slick leaking from his hole, and the smell of his panic as well as his arousal filled the air as he realized what was happening: he was going into heat.

“Oh-oh God,” he gasped, hands shaking as he pushed himself up from the couch. Benny’s nostrils flared and he stood up as well, taking a step towards Dean. The Omega whimpered and stepped away from him, his vision going blurry at the corners as more slick leaked down his thighs and soaked his pants.

“Let me help you, Cher,” he said softly, desperately. Dean whimpered and shook his head, taking another step away from the Alpha. The smell of Benny’s arousal was strong in the air, though, and Dean’s body reacted by producing more slick even as he continued to back away.

“N-No…”

“Dean…”

“He said no,” Sam snarled as he stormed into the room, lunging at Benny with his teeth bared. Even from where Dean was standing nearly five feet away it was obvious that Sam’s eyes were dark Alpha red, and he began to shout as his brother and Benny tumbled onto the couch and then to the floor together. They rolled around for a few minutes before Benny finally managed to break free, grabbing his jacket and quickly making his way to the front door.

“Dean, if you need me-”

“Get out!” Sam growled, his entire body heaving as he stalked towards the door. Benny jumped towards the door and made it out just in time for Sam to slam it in his face, and then it was just Sam and Dean left in the wrecked living room, the smell of Alpha rage and Omega heat thick in the air. Dean whimpered and Sam stepped forward, catching his brother just before his knees gave out.

“S-Sammy…  Something’s wrong . I shouldn’t be…” 

“It’s okay,” Sam growled, the red in his eyes still prominent, though much more diluted now that Benny was gone. He bent down, slipping his arms under Dean’s bowed legs and hoisting his pregnant body up into his arms. His nose crinkled in disgust as Dean’s heat scent hit him full force, but he ignored it in favor of walking towards the door. He managed to grab the keys to the Impala on his way  out; cradling Dean’s shaking body close. “Everything’s gonna be alright, De. I’m gonna get you to the hospital and everything will be fine.”

\---

"Shit. Shit, fuck," Cas gasped as he rutted up against the sheets of his bed, moving his hips furiously as he tried to chase an orgasm that just wouldn't seem to come. Even if he did come he knew that it wouldn’t be satisfying, though; what he needed right now was an Omega-  _ his _  Omega- to knot and breed. Almost as soon as he had arrived back home from his meeting with Dean he had gone into rut, and he had been holed up in his room ravishing himself ever since. It took another few minutes of toying with his cock and desperately fucking into his fist before his knot finally popped, streams of cum exploding all over his chest. He let out a loud sigh as he relaxed, his whole body deflating as he came down from his high.

It was a knock on his bedroom door that broke him from his trance. He groaned and sat up, reaching for his sweat pants and managing to tug them on just in time for Gabriel to walk into his room.

" Geez Louise , does it  reek in here," he coughed, bringing a hand up to cover his nose. Cas scowled.

"That's because I'm in rut, dumbass. And I'd really prefer if you weren't in the room when the next wave comes along, so whatever you have to say, make it quick."

"So testy," Gabriel shook his head, frowning as he leaned against the door frame. "I just wanted to hear about what happened today."

Cas huffed, adjusting himself on the bed and resting his arm behind his head. "Didn't Kali tell you?"

"She told me some of it. I wanted to hear from the horse's mouth, though."

Cas snorted and looked away from his brother. "Yeah," he sighed. "I mean, I'm sure that Kali told you most of the story already. I walked into the salon and Dean was just sitting there, getting his hair cut," he sighed, shaking his head. "Fuck, I thought I'd never see him again. You know... he's so beautiful. I think I  forgot how beautiful he really was."

"Okay bro, calm down. I can smell your boner from here."

"Shut up; I warned you."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "So... What are you gonna do about this?"

"About what? My rut?" Cas huffed. Gabriel frowned.

"Wow, talk about single minded. No, I'm talking about this whole thing you've got going on with Dean."

"Ugh. Excuse me, but you  _ are _  interrupting me in the middle of a rut," Cas huffed, then paused as he picked at his sheets. "But... I don't know. I have a standing lunch date with him next week. We'll see how things go."

Gabriel nodded slowly. "And... I mean, you'll take things at his pace, right? Kali told me he already has a boyfriend. I can’t imagine you being very pleased about that."

Castiel huffed in annoyance. “The fact that he has a boyfriend is… neither here nor there. It’s not of import. He's not my Omega, as much as I want him to be, and I have no claim over him," he said, pausing for a moment before he added. "Even if he was my Omega, I wouldn't say that I have a claim over him. He's his own person. His own, beautiful, sexy, delicious person..."

"Okay then, and that's  my cue to leave," Gabriel chuckled, his nostrils flaring as Cas's aroused scent hit him. He was out of the room in a matter of seconds, leaving Cas to hump at the sheets once again, chasing relief like a madman.

\---

“It’s just a heat flash. Perfectly normal for pregnant Omegas to experience at times,” the Alpha male said, smiling gently in Dean’s direction as he removed the rubber gloves from his hands. He stood up, tossing them into the trash and going to wash his hands. “It typically happens in high stress situations, or when you’re exposed to your mate, or a True Mate.”

“True Mates don’t exist,” Dean managed to say, though he couldn’t help the way his throat tightened up at the doctor’s words. The Alpha turned back to look at him, then shrugged.

“I guess you could say it’s debatable. My husband and I, though… We’re definitely true mates,” he smiled wistfully. “Never smelled an Omega quite like him.”

Dean swallowed thickly, and though he wanted to dismiss what the doctor was saying, another part of him- a more curious part- overwhelmed him.

“How did you meet?”

“We met in college. He was… He was my professor,” the doctor laughed, grinning wide. “Art history. I swear, you couldn’t have found a more boring subject. But, I mean, it wasn’t boring to me. Not when I saw him standing up there. Or when I heard him talk, or smelled him,” the Alpha sighed, pausing for a few moments before he shook his head. “I’m  sorry; you don’t want to hear about this.”

‘No, no, I…” Dean trailed off, smiling slightly as he stroked his palm over his swollen stomach. “It’s nice. It’s good that you’ve got a mate who makes you happy.”

He smiled, picking up his stethoscope and plugging it into his ears. “Alright. Now let’s see how those pups of yours are doing,” he smiled and stepped forward, allowing Dean to roll up his own shirt before he pressed the scope to his stomach. Dean gasped, and the doctor chuckled.

“It’s cold, I know. But…,” the doctor trailed off, concentrating for a few moments before he smiled. “There we go. Healthy as a horse.” He removed the stethoscope, walking to the other side of the exam room so that he could scribble out a prescription. “I’m going to write you a script for a small dose of suppressants. Unless you just want to ride out the heat flash?”

“No, no, I have work,” Dean said, rolling his shirt back down and sitting up. “I can’t afford to miss any days.”

The Alpha frowned a little. “Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Elementary school. You would think that a place specifically designed for children would be  pregnancy-friendly , but...”

“Not when there isn’t a mating mark on your neck,” he said quickly, handing the script to Dean and frowning at him. “No offense. I just know how it is.”

Dean hummed, standing up and taking the script from the doctor. “Yeah. Well, thanks.”

“Take care, Mr. Winchester,” he said. Dean left the room, walking down the hallway and towards the waiting room. Sam stood up when he spotted him, wringing his hands nervously as he held Dean’s coat out to him. Dean flashed him a small smile.

“All fine,” he said, flashing Sam with jazz hands before resting his fingers on his belly. Sam smiled, relieved, as Dean took his coat from him.

“Good. That’s great. And the pups…?”

“They’re fine,” he said, patting his stomach. “Doc gave me some suppressants, too. Says it’s just a heat flash- could have been triggered by being around my True Mate, or something,” he mumbled. Sam’s nose crinkled up at his brother’s words and he tilted his head to the side, confused and concerned.

“True Mate? You mean… Benny..?”

“No,” Dean said, then swallowed thickly, scratching the back of his head. “No, I… I never got to tell you, since we had that… fight. I-I ran into Cas. Castiel. At the hair salon, this afternoon.”

Sam’s brows furrowed. “Is that…?”

“Yeah, he is. The father, I mean,” he answered quietly, looking down at his large stomach and rubbing his palm back and forth. His lips twitched up into a small smile when he felt one of the pups kick his palm, only looking back up when he heard Sam speak again.

“Wow,” The Alpha breathed. Dean sighed, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and looking away from his brother.

“Look, can we go get something to eat? I was in the middle of making dinner before Benny showed up, and now the pups are getting antsy and I’m starving.”

Sam chuckled. “Uh, sure. Let’s go. IHOP sound okay?” He asked, wrapping an arm around Dean’s shoulder and leading him to the front desk, so that they could check out of the ER and go get some dinner. Dean grinned up at him.

“All you can eat pancakes? Is there ever a time that that  _ doesn’t _  sound okay?”

Sam grinned. “IHOP it is then.” They spoke to the nurse at the front desk to get Dean checked out, then left, walking back to the Impala in the cold. It was a considerably humid day out, despite the cold, and the overcast clouds signaled rain, or possibly even snow. Sam’s teeth chattered as they walked through the parking lot, and he frowned down at Dean as the Omega began tapping away at his phone.

“What’s up?”

“Benny keeps texting me,” he mumbled. He wasn’t expecting to hear Sam growl loudly in response, but when he did he looked up at his younger brother in surprise, frowning. “You okay man?”

“He was going to take advantage of you,” he spat, scowling as he walked around to the driver’s side of the Impala and climbed in. Dean ducked into the passenger seat right after him, frowning as his brother continued to speak. “He’s dangerous. I don’t like him.”

“Yeah… He’s not exactly on my nice list right now either, actually.”

Sam hummed in response to Dean’s words and started the car, glaring down at Dean’s phone as it buzzed with yet another text message. Dean swiped it open and began typing, and Sam frowned.

“Is that him again?”

“No,” Dean answered simply, and Sam huffed in annoyance when Dean didn’t elaborate any further, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out of the hospital parking lot. Dean ignored him in favor of staring down at his phone, thinking of what he should respond to the text he had just received.

**From: Babbydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:10 PM**

_ Hello Dean. I hope its not too late… How are you doing? _

Dean couldn’t help the amused snort that escaped his mouth as Cas’s formal tone. It was a text message, not an email. Why the hell did this guy have to be such a dork? Then again, he hadn’t been such a dork when he was plowing Dean into the back seat of the Impala all those months ago…

“Dude, who the hell are you texting that’s making you stink up the car like that? Get a fucking room…,” Sam complained as he leaned over, peaking at Dean’s phone. The Omega growled half-heartedly and shielded the screen with his fingers, but not  before Sam caught a glimpse of the text message. He sputtered, nearly crashing the car as he began to laugh hysterically.

“Oh my God,  _ Babydaddy Cas _ ? Did he write that, or you?” He cackled. Dean blushed dark red, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at his brother. This only made Sam laugh harder, pounding his fist on the steering wheel and gasping for breath. “Oh my God! Dean, you’re such a geek!”

“Oh, shut up,” Dean grumbled, picking his phone back up and turning away from Sam as he began to type.

**To: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18,16 | 8:17 PM**

_ no its not 2 late. Just about to go get some grub with my brother. HBU? _

“Are you at least going to change his name in your phone?” Sam chuckled, peaking over Dean’s shoulder again to try and catch a glimpse of his texts. Dean growled, nudging him in the side and smacking him in the back of the head.

“Watch the fucking road, you little bitch,”

“Jerk,” Sam whined. Dean grinned over at him as he rolled his eyes, his smile not going away when he felt his phone vibrate in his lap again. He looked down at it, his heart fluttering as he read Cas’s words.

**From: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:19 PM**

_ Isn’t it a bit late for dinner? I hope our pups aren’t getting too hungry in that belly of yours ;) _

Dean was just about to start typing his response when another message came in.

**From: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:19 PM**

_ I’m sorry if that came out awkward. My ‘people skills’ are, as you might say, a bit ‘rusty’. _

Dean had to  laugh out loud when he read that message, because damn this guy was a huge dork. A cute, dorky guy that was the father of his pups. He rubbed his hand over his stomach as he reread the message, smiling a little. Sam leaned over, nudging him with his shoulder.

“What’s he saying?”

“Dude, watch the road and mind your own business!” He yelled, pointing to the road just in time for Sam to break for a red light. The Alpha huffed out an exasperated sigh.

“I wouldn’t have to keep reading over your shoulder if you would just tell me what ‘Babydaddy Cas Milton’ is saying,” he grumbled. Dean rolled his eyes.

“He said,  _ ’buzz off, Sam Winchester’ _ , that’s what he said,” he snapped, looking back down at his phone as he began to type.

**To: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:25 PM**

_ not awkward at all man. Though the winky emojis are a bit cliché, don’t you think? Lol… And i know its pretty late for dinner, but I got held up for a while at the hospital _

Dean sent the message without thinking, and by the time he realized what he had typed and what connotation it might have to it, Cas had already responded.

**From: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:26 PM**

_ Hospital??  _ _ Λ _

Dean quickly typed back.

**To: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:26 PM**

_ Probably not what ur thinking. just a minor heat flash. Doctor says its normal _

Cas’s response didn’t come for several minutes after that. Dean tried not to think about it too much, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he had somehow said the wrong thing. He knew that it was silly, and he shouldn’t care even if Cas was upset over something he said, but that didn’t stop his instincts from kicking in. Five whole minutes ticked by before Cas finally responded.

**From: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:31 PM**

_ Weird. I went into rut this afternoon, as well _

A brief moment ticked by before another message came in.

**From: Babydaddy Cas Milton** **  
** **01/18/16 | 8:31 PM**

_ I’m sorry, TMI. My brother says that I tend to overshare… I apologize _

Dean snorted again. “Dork,” he mumbled. It was then that he noticed Sam stopping the car, and he looked up at see that they were parked in front of the IHOP. Sam flashed him a bright smile as he unbuckled his seat belt and opened up the driver’s side door.

“Come on, you can keep texting your  _ babydaddy _ inside. I’m starving.”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, sasquatch. I’m moving as fast as I can.”

\---

They texted like this for days. Though Cas’s text messages about his rut were the last ones of that night, the awkward overshare didn’t seem to  prevent Dean from texting him the next morning, or from Cas texting him back that evening, or from Dean texting him again at lunch the desk day, and so on. They began to communicate so much over text message that Sam began to joke that they would need to upgrade their phone data plan, or else send Dean to technology addiction therapy. Dean simply rolled his eyes and told Sam to go suck an egg.

It was easy talking to Cas, Dean discovered. Sure, he was way too formal in his messages, but he also used way too many emojis and made dorky jokes that had Dean grinning from ear to ear every time he read them. Cas may have been a bit socially awkward and didn’t know anything about pop culture (Dean had discovered with horror on the third night of their texting-spree that the father of his pups had never even seen Indiana Jones), but he was kind and caring and always willing to talk. And Dean loved it.

He was sitting in the teacher’s lounge during lunch, shoveling a meatball sub into his mouth and smiling down at his phone when Charlie plopped down beside him.

“Who’re you texting?” She asked, wiggling her eyes brows and leaning over his shoulder. Dean quickly hid the screen, glaring at her. She laughed.

“Ooh, it’s a secret? Dean, you just broke up with Benny  _ last week _ ,” she smirked, waggling her eyebrows and leaning close to him. “Did you meet someone new already?”

Dean grunted, pushing her away and setting his sandwich down. He wiped his hands off, smacking his lips as he swallowed the last of the food in his mouth. It was only when he looked back at Charlie that she saw he was blushing, and she practically squealed, grinning ear to ear. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Could you quiet down? People are staring.”

“Oh, Dean! You  _ dog _ ,” she laughed. Dean grumbled.

“I’m not a dog, Charlie. I’m just texting a… a friend,” he settled on using that word, though it did leave a sour taste in his mouth. Charlie frowned, about to speak when his phone vibrated with another message. Charlie snatched his cell right from his hand, gasping as she looked at the screen.

“ _ Babydaddy _ ?” She practically yelled, and that got some heads turning in their direction. Dean bowed his head in embarrassment, snatching his phone back from Charlie and grumbling about how he ‘should have changed it like Sam said’. He ignored the message and pocketed his phone, glaring at Charlie as she continued to fangirl next to him. “Dude, is that Cas as in  _ Castiel _  father of your-”

“Children, yes, it’s the same one,” he finished her sentence for her before she could  announce any more of his personal information to the whole room. “I… uh, I ran into him. About a week ago.”

Charlie’s mouth dropped open in shock. “A whole week? And you didn’t tell me? I thought I was your best friend!” She whined, sounding insulted. Dean huffed.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve been busy. Benny and I broke up, and I was in the hospital, and-”

“You were in the hospital?” Charlie frowned, concern writing its way across her face. “Are the pups okay?”

“Uh, yeah. They’re fine. I just… uhm,” he cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “I had a heat flash. In response to… Being in the same room as Castiel again, I guess.”

“Oh my God!” Charlie squealed, and Dean glared at her. She put a hand over her mouth to try and calm herself down, though it was obvious that she was still grinning behind her palm. That smile disappeared suddenly, though, and she leaned forward to whisper to Dean. “Wait… Did you and Benny break up because of Castiel?”

Dean made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and Charlie gasped loudly, slapping her hands down on her legs. “Dean Winchester!” she hissed accusatorily. Dean frowned.

“It’s not what you think. He… he lied to me. I don’t want to talk about it here, but basically he was just using me. I don’t think he meant to, really… But it just wasn’t working out. Me running into Cas was just the tip of the iceberg… It revealed the problems we had in our relationship. Kind of like how the stock market crash revealed the Great Depression. It wasn’t the cause… but it sure as hell showed us what was going wrong.”

“Way to make a dramatic story boring by adding a history lesson to it,” Charlie groaned. Dean rolled his eyes and fixed her with a glare, to which she smiled in response, reaching out to squeeze Dean’s hand. He looked surprised by the gesture, but Charlie simply continued to smile sympathetically at him.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Benny,” she said softly. Dean nodded meekly, and Charlie bit her lips. “Just watch yourself with this Castiel guy too, okay? Alphas are shitty.”

Dean snorted. “You’re an Alpha.”

“Yeah, and don’t you think that means I know how shitty we can be? I think with my knot half the time, and I’m one of the  _ nicer _  Alphas out there.”

Dean smirked. “That’s what you think,” he mumbled, to which Charlie started laughing. Dean smiled at her, pulling his hand away and picking up his sandwich again. “But no, I hear what you’re saying, and I am being careful. I’ve got lunch date with him this weekend, but Sam is gonna come with me, just in case. But Cas is a nice guy, and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”

Charlie frowned. “Yeah… But isn’t that what you said about Benny?”

\---

Castiel fidgeted nervously in his seat at the little café right off of Broad Street, his fingers rapping against the solid wood of the table he sat at. Gabriel frowned from his seat right across from his little brother.

“Dude, you need to calm down. It’s just lunch, and you’re making this whole  place reek with your anxiety.”

“But it’s not  _ just lunch _ , Gabriel,” he hissed, ignoring the way that some of the other patrons were staring at him. “It’s lunch with Dean Winchester, the Omega of my dreams and father of my unborn pups.”

“And he has an Alpha boyfriend,” Gabriel added, tilting his head to the side as he looked at his younger brother. “Who I am  _ sure _  he loves very much, and is not going to very much like the idea of you coming along and worming your way into Dean’s life.”

A pained expression flitted across Cas’s face briefly before he frowned over at his brother. “Gabriel-”

“I’m sorry, Cassie, but this is the truth and you need to hear it, because I know  how your mind works.  You’re hoping that somehow he’s going to fall in love with you and  you’ll live happily ever after. But this Omega- he has his own life. He doesn’t owe you anything.”

“I know that,” Castiel said quietly, grinding his teeth. “And I don’t expect him to owe me anything, for that exact reason. If anything, I owe him. Him and those pups growing inside of him- pups that  _ I _  put there. And while you’re right- I do wish that in another world we could be together and be mated- I’m not going to walk away from my fatherly responsibilities just because he already has a boyfriend or a mate or something.”

Gabriel sat there staring at his brother for some time, until finally Castel perked up and Gabe turned to see a heavily pregnant Omega standing behind his chair, a timid smile on his face as he waved at Cas. Behind him stood a rather tall, stoic looking Alpha who, although he appeared to be very young, still stood confidently behind him. Cas stood up and so did Gabriel, smiling kindly at the two men.

“Hi, I’m Gabriel. Cassie’s brother,” he said as he reached out to shake Dean’s hand, then stepped to the side. “Nice to meet you, but I was just leaving.”

“It’s fine if you want to stay, I don’t want to-”

“No, no, I just drove Cas here,” he flashed his brother a smile, then looked back at Dean. “I’ll leave you  three to it , then. Once again, it was nice to meet you. You look great.”

“Uh, thanks,” Dean chuckled, smiling awkwardly at Gabriel. The Beta was shorter than even he was, and certainly nowhere near as tall as Cas. Then again, he imagined that that was how he and Sam looked, although Dean did have the excuse of being an Omega to account for his (lack of) height.

“Cas, if you need a ride home…” Gabriel started but Cas shook his head.

“It’s fine, I’ll walk,” he said. Gabriel nodded.

“Alright. Later, dudes,” he said, grabbing his coat off the back of the chair and walking away. Cas smiled timidly and took a step forward, pulling up an extra chair for Sam before he resumed his seat.

“Sorry about that. He’s a little weary of this whole thing…” Cas rolled his eyes, then blushed when he realized what he had said. Dean smiled.

“Hey man, that’s fine. It’s a brother’s job to look out for you,” he chuckled. Cas smiled and shrugged.

“I guess. I went ahead and ordered us all some soda- it’s Dr. Pepper, if that’s alright. I know that’s Dean’s favorite…,” he said. Dean smiled widely at Cas, who blushed, staring down at the table cloth. Silence fell between the three of them for a few moments, but then Dean clapped his hands together.

“Ooh, Cas, you wanna see a sonogram?” He asked. Cas’s face lit up and he nodded enthusiastically, blue eyes watching Dean intently as the Omega reached into his back pocket to fish out his wallet. He removed a folded-up black and white photo, a blurry image printed on the paper. Sam peeked at it as Dean handed it to the Alpha, and while he didn’t seem phased at all by the sight of it, Castiel looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

He took the photo from Dean almost reverently, staring down at it with his mouth hanging open. After a few moments he snapped it shut, making a small squeaking noise and looking uo at Dean with a gummy smile. “They’re amazing,” he said. Dean grinned.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” he said softly, blushing slightly and looking down at his big stomach. “I went to the doctor yesterday, actually. Tessa says it’s three girls.”

“Girls?” Castiel asked, his voice going up a pitch as he stared at Dean. The Omega chuckled and nodded, rubbing his stomach. Cas bit his lips. “Do you have any ideas for names yet?”

Dean blushed and glanced over at a rather oblivious Sam, seeming almost self-conscious that the other Alpha was there listening to their conversation, then shook his head and looked down at the table. Castiel frowned and looked over at Sam.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Castiel Milton, and you must be Dean’s boyfriend…”

Sam was in the middle of taking a sip of his soda, and he nearly did a spit take at Cas’s words. He sputtered, shaking his head and laughing.

“Uh, what? No, no, no… Dean is not my Omega,” he laughed. Dean blushed and rolled his eyes.

“This is my brother, Sam. I… uh… I forgot to tell you; my boyfriend and I broke up. Last week.”

“Oh,” Castiel was quiet for a moment, frowning. “Not because of me, I hope,” he said, and he sounded genuinely concerned. Dean shrugged.

“Not your fault, no. But he… I guess he ran into you, or something. At the Roadhouse. He said you came in and were looking for me there, and…”

“Oh,” Cas coughed, his cheeks turning red as he scratched the back of his neck. “Yes. That was… shortly after I moved in with my brother and his mate. I was in a very…,” he trailed off, frowning slightly. “I spoke to a man there who said he didn’t know you. He was the bartender. Was that…?”

“That was Benny,” Dean nodded, laughing angrily and shaking his head. “I still can’t believe that he did that. Lied to you, I mean.  He just decided to keep you and I apart because he was afraid that you were going to ‘steal his Omega’.” He snorted. “I guess he didn’t realize that he lost ‘his Omega’ the moment he made that decision.”

Castiel frowned. “Wow,” he breathed out, shaking his head and leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. “That’s… crazy. I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Dean.”

At that moment a young, blond Alpha waitress came over to the table, smiling brightly at the three of them. “Hey guys, my name is Jessica. Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll take the Caesar Salad,” Cas said, then looked over at Sam and Dean expectantly. Dean ordered a cheeseburger and Sam ordered the same. The Alpha jotted down their orders, then bounced away. Sam stared after her not-so-subtly as she walked away, and Dean turned his attention back to Cas, clearing his throat.

“I’m sorrier for you. You and Kali both have mentioned that you’ve been experiencing this whole false mating thing for the past six months… I looked it up. That shit is scary.”

Cas shook his head. “I doubt it can be scarier than being an unmated pregnant Omega,” he said, then frowned when he realized how that sounded. He could tell that Dean was thinking the same thing as he was, so he quickly added, “I mean, with the way that people treat you guys. Omegas, I mean.”

“Wow, Dean was right, you really are a dork,” Sam chuckled. Cas’s cheeks turned bright red and Dean glared at his brother.

“Sam, shut up. I think it’s nice,” he added, smiling timidly over at Cas. Sam rolled his eyes.

“You’ve got it so bad,” he mumbled. Dean blushed just as dark, if not darker than Castiel, swinging his foot under the table to kick Sam.  Except he miscalculated and instead kicked Cas, who groaned loudly and lurched forward, rocking the table as he let out a loud, pained whine. Water and soda sloshed over the sides of their glasses and splashed all over the table. Patrons at the tables around them stopped and stared as Dean stood up from the table, cursing quite loudly and rushing to Cas’s side.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Oh God, I kicked you hard, didn’t I? Are you okay?”

Cas waved him off, still wincing but trying to hide his discomfort. “I’m fine. I know it was an accident, I know,” he said. Dean bit his lips and slowly resumed his seat. Cas took a deep, steadying breath, pushing his chair away from the table. “I just have to use the bathroom,” he said. He stood up, wobbling on his own feet for a moment before he took a step forward, yelping and leaning on his chair to keep him from falling. Dean stood up again, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around the Alpha’s waist to steady him.

“Hey, maybe we should get you to the hospital,” he said. Cas nodded, biting his bottom lip and wobbling on his one foot. It was a few quiet moments of leaning on each other that Dean and Cas seemed to realize how close they were to each other- so close that they could smell each other’s scents- and they both blushed scarlet. Dean cleared his throat.

“Hey, Sammy, help me walk him out, wouldja?”

“Uh, sure,” he said, standing up and digging his wallet out of his back pocket. He tossed a fifty dollar bill onto the table just as Jessica returned carrying three plates. She frowned when she saw the three of them standing, Cas obviously leaning on Dean for support.

“What happened? Is everything okay?”

“Just a little ankle injury,” Cas said, wincing when he shifted  his weight a bit . Dean tightened his grip on the Alpha’s hip, and his breath hitched as he looked down at Dean with wide blue eyes. The Omega flashed him a small smile before turning back to the waitress.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. Sam, did you pay her?”

“Yeah. Fifty should cover it, and keep the change for your trouble,” he said, smiling at the beautiful waitress before he stepped up and slung Cas’s arm over his shoulder. The three of them hobbled out of the restaurant and towards the parking lot, where the Impala was parked.

“I’m really sorry, Cas. I meant to kick Sam.”

“Seriously?” Sam whined. Cas laughed, smiling down at Dean.

“It’s fine. At least now I know never to piss you off,” he grinned. “You’ve got a mean karate kick.”

 

\---

It was almost comical, the way that Castiel hobbled back into his brother's apartment a few hours later, leaning heavily on Sam's shoulder as Dean flanked his other side. A large white cast was secured onto his ankle, thick and heavy against his socked foot. He winced as he limped over the threshold, doing his best to avoid putting pressure on his right leg. This wasn’t the first time in his life that he had gotten an injury that had needed a cast, but it was the first time in a long time, and Castiel had realized very quickly that breaking your arm at eight is much less painful than dislocating your ankle at twenty-eight. So aside from the throbbing pain in his ankle, the whole situation seemed pretty satirical, and Cas was sure that if his life were a sitcom there would be cued laughter in the background as he walked into the apartment.

Gabriel did not think it was as funny. As soon as his little brother hobbled into the apartment he stood up from his seat on the couch, brown eyes widening when he took in the huge cast on his leg and the narrowing again as his gaze shifted from Cas to Sam, and then to Dean. He growled harshly (as harshly as any Beta could) and stepped. Castiel immediately took a step in front of Dean, nearly falling over as he growled back at his older brother in defense of the pregnant Omega. Dean reached out and grabbed him, in part to steady him and in (a much larger) part to keep him from lunging at Gabriel.

"What happened?" Gabriel asked, his expression softening a bit when he realized there was no immediate threat present to his little brother- quite the contrary, it seemed. Castiel relaxed a bit as well, looking down at his ankle and kicking his leg weakly as he began to explain.

"It's dislocated. The doctor fixed it up, but I have to wear this thing for a while. We, uh...," Cas glanced over at Dean, then frowned back at his brother. "He kicked me, under the table. It was an accident; he meant to kick Sam."

"Oh, well that makes it better," Gabriel muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked over at Dean. Castiel fixed him with a pointed stare.

"It was an accident, Gabriel. And anyway, I'm tired. I'm going to go take a nap," he said. Gabriel nodded and reached out to help his brother walk, but Dean wrapped an arm around the Alpha's waist before he could. Gabriel’s nose crinkled and he was ready to throw a fit about it, but when he glanced over at his brother and saw the soft, almost dazed smile on his face, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Cas was happy with Dean’s arm around him, and even if his first impression of the Omega and his gargantuan brother wasn’t a good one, he was sure that that had to count for something.

"I'll help you," Dean said, offering the Alpha a sweet smile that nearly went all the way to his ears. Cas grinned back at him, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners as he began to hobble with Dean towards his bedroom. It was as if he wasn't even hurt, and the sight almost made Gabriel smile. Still, he had to maintain some of his protective older brother persona, so instead he turned to frown in Sam’s direction.

"I really am sorry about all this," Dean whispered as they padded into the hallway, soft gray carpet dipping beneath their feet as Cas led him towards his bedroom. Cas shrugged back at him.

"It's really okay, Dean."

"No it's not," Dean insisted, his eyebrows creasing. "It's not okay. I dislocated your freaking ankle... You had to get it wrapped up in a cast and everything."

"It didn't hurt that much."

"You screamed," Dean argued, his tone flat and leaving no room for argument.

Cas blushed shamefully, clearing his throat and turning away from the Omega. “I really think that that’s an exaggeration,” he mumbled, ignoring the way that Dean began to laugh beside him. They came to a stop in front of his bedroom and he reached for the knob, pausing to smirk down at Dean.

"Boy, you don’t know how many times I’ve dreamed about this moment..."

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he mumbled. Cas grinned and opened up the door, stepping in and hopping a few feet before flopping down on his bed. He let out an audible sigh, groaning in pain as he shifted his leg over on the bed a bit, propping one of his pillows underneath his leg. Dean stood beside the bed, shuffling his feet awkwardly. Cas finally looked up at him once the Alpha had made himself comfortable, raising his eyebrows in concern when he saw the uneasy look on the Omega’s face.

"Why the long face?" He asked. Dean huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why? Because I pretty much turned you into a cripple and you're not even upset about it. At least let me pay your ER bill, or something!"

"That really won't be necessary," Cas chuckled. Dean frowned. What was wrong with this guy? Dean suggests paying his ER bill and he laughs? What the fuck does that mean?

"I have the money, Cas. I work. It's really not a problem at all, and it'll make me feel better."

"Dean, it's really okay. I have more than enough money. I'm the CEO of Angel Entertainment."

Dean's jaw dropped open in shock, all thoughts of paying the Alpha back temporarily forgotten. "Angel Entertainment?" He gawked. "As in, like, the company that owns Marvel and Harry Potter?"

Cas chuckled again. "The rights to those movies, yes," he flashed Dean a small smile. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"I'm just... I...," he shook his head, pausing for a few moments to think. "What the hell were you doing at a dive bar like the Roadhouse if you're the freaking CEO of Angel Entertainment?"

Cas shrugged. “I don’t know. Gabriel picked the bar, and he doesn’t really have the best taste in things. Although he did say that they make delicious burgers there.”

“They do,” Dean smiled, stroking a hand over his stomach as he spoke. “I can’t even tell you how many of those things our pups have eaten over the past 7 months.”

Cas laughed, sitting up a bit straighter and looking up at Dean with a gummy smile. He reached out tentatively, watching Dean’s face carefully as he placed his palm over the Omega’s stomach. Almost as soon as he touched his stomach he could feel the pups kicking his palm, and he felt his heart melt a little. He pursed his lips to hold back his smile, stroking his palm over the tight flesh without looking up at him.

“Yeah… the only thing I think I’m really upset about is that our first date ended so horribly.”

Dean blinked down at Cas in surprise, his mouth falling open as he tried to articulate a response. Cas continued to rub small, soothing circles into Dean’s belly, as if he didn’t even realize what he had just said. Perhaps he didn’t. After a few moments he looked back up at Dean’s face, frowning when he saw the look of shock and confusion, maybe even fear, that was there.

“What’s the matter?”

Dean cleared his throat. “You just, uh… you just said that today was our first date.”

Castiel’s jaw dropped open and he quickly pulled his hand away from Dean’s skin. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I just…,” Castiel bit his lips, looking up at Dean nervously. “That’s not what I thought, I just-”

“It’s okay,” Dean laughed, reaching out and taking Cas’s hand in his own. He placed it back on his stomach, smiling down at the timid Alpha. “Really, it is. I just… uh… I think I’d prefer my little brother wasn’t with us on our real first date, is all.”

Cas was silent for a moment before he grinned, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to the center of Dean’s rounded stomach. The action made Dean’s lips twitch up, and he couldn’t help it when he carded his fingers through the hair on the right side of Cas’s head, pushing the loose strands behind the Alpha’s ear. Cas’s eyes flickered up to meet his and he smiled. “Yeah, I’ve got to say I agree with that.”

\---  
Dean spent the next week going to work in the morning and then spending the afternoon at Cas’s brother’s apartment, sitting on his bed with the Alpha and chatting with him. He ignored the way that Sam made fun of him when he came home smelling like the Alpha, teasing about what he was ‘really doing’ at Cas’s apartment going in one ear and out the other. Because, in truth, nothing was going on; he and Cas were simply enjoying each other's company.

Dean made chicken noodle soup for Cas and brought it over to him on his third trip to the Alpha’s house. Coincidentally, that was also the day that he invited Cas to come with him on his next doctor’s appointment. He accepted the offer immediately, and the grin that split his face at the offer almost made Dean think Cas was going to kiss him. He didn’t, of course, which was relieving to Dean, since he was sure that he wasn’t ready to be in another relationship anytime soon. Of course, it didn’t help settle his conflicting emotions that a big part of him was disappointed that Cas hadn’t kissed him.

“You want me to drive you to the clinic?” Sam asked on Saturday morning, leaning against the kitchen counter and munching on a piece of cake. Dean shook his head, struggling into his overcoat and pulling it tight around his pregnant belly.

“It’s fine. I’m gonna pick Cas up at his apartment and drive us there. We’ll probably get lunch after, too, so don’t wait up,” he said. Sam bit his lips, staring at his brother.

“You’re gonna be alone with him?” He asked. Dean nodded, not looking up at Sam as he started searching for his keys. The Alpha continued to frown at him, popping the last bit of cake into his mouth and wiping his hands off on his pajama pants. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Dean finally looked up at his brother, a confused look on his face. “Why wouldn’t it be a good idea? Dude, this is Cas,” he said, like it was obvious. Sam huffed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and growing annoyed when Dean turned away from him, still looking for his keys.

“I mean, you don’t even really know the guy. What if he tries something funny? This is going to be the first time that you’re really alone with him.”

Dean snorted. “Uh, I don’t think that’s exactly true, you know,” he said, patting his belly indicatively and wiggling his eyebrows at his brother. Sam’s nose crinkled up and he made a gagging noise in the back of his throat, causing Dean to burst out laughing. He finally managed to find his keys- hanging up in the pocket of his leather jacket- and he flashed a smile over at his brother. “Don’t worry about me, Sammy. If things go awry you know I’ll call you,” he smiled, then turned away and quickly left the apartment, leaving his brother to glare at the door.

It took twenty minutes to get to Cas’s brother’s apartment, at which point he decided to text the Alpha to come down, since he was going to late if he took the time to walk all the way up to the apartment and then back down again.

To: Babydaddy Cas Milton  
01/30/16 | 9:54 AM

Im in the parking lot rn

The reply came in almost five minutes, and Dean smiled down at his phone, laughing to himself as he read Cas’s message.

From: Babydaddy Cas Milton  
01/30/16 | 10:00 AM

I’m coming… Might be a while, since somebody decided to cripple me… D:

Despite what he had said in his text message, it only took Cas approximately three minutes to get downstairs and out of the apartment building, and Dean reached over to open up the passenger side door from the inside as Cas hobbled over to the car on his crutches. The Alpha smiled at him through the windshield, swinging the door all the way open and tossing his crutches in as he leaned against the hood of the car and maneuvered himself into the seat. He looked over at Dean and frowned when he saw the way the Omega was crammed into the driver’s seat, pregnant belly stuffed up against the wheel. He raised his eyebrows.

“You comfortable?” He asked. Dean shrugged.

“Yeah. Why?”

The Alpha snorted, closing the door and picking up his crutches to toss them into the back seat before buckling himself in. “Nothing, it’s just… You’re a little pregnant to be driving, don’t you think?” He asked, his voice gentle as he smiled over at Dean. The Omega pursed his lips and shifted the car into gear, narrowing his eyes at Castiel.

“Are you calling me fat?”

“No!” Castiel said quickly and Dean grinned at him, making the Alpha laugh. He leaned closer to the Omega, subtly breathing in his scent and reaching out to touch the side of his belly. It had become a regular thing for the two of them; Dean had quickly discovered that Cas loved to touch his belly and feel the pups, and Dean had found that he loved it too. He spared a side glance at Cas and smiled to himself when he saw the happy look on the Alpha’s face.

“So, I was thinking we could get lunch after the appointment. I was thinking Mexican?”

Cas smiled. “I’d love to. And if the pups want Mexican food, that’s fine by me,” he chuckled. Dean grinned and glanced over at Cas again, their noses nearly colliding. There was an awkward moment of silence before Cas pulled away, sitting back in his own seat and pulling his hand away from Dean’s stomach. “So… Yeah. Mexican food sounds great.”

“Cool. Now, uh… I think we’re almost there…,” Dean said, leaning forward and craning his neck to see the road signs. He merged into the next lane, driving for another couple miles before he turned and pulled into the parking lot of the Ob/Gyn clinic. He parked, unbuckling himself and groaning as he eased his heavy pregnant body out of the seat. Cas frowned over at him as he climbed out of the car, letting himself out and following him around towards the door.

“You know, I think it might be time for you to retire your keys,” he said softly, earning a glare from the Omega. He put his hands up as if in surrender, shaking his head. “Look, I know you love your car, but sitting in that driver’s seat with three pups growing inside your belly cannot be comfortable.”

“I think you underestimate my devotion to the Impala,” Dean said dryly, though the way he smiled over at Cas as he said it seemed to indicate that he at least somewhat agreed with the Alpha. Castiel laughed, and part of him was tempted to reach out and wrap his arm around the Omega's waist; to pull him in and never let go. He resisted it though, and kept walking, albeit maybe a little closer to Dean than he was before.

The truth of the matter was that being around Dean made Castiel feel whole. Gabriel had told him to be wary of that feeling; that the Omega most likely didn't feel the same way, and she shouldn't set himself up to be hurt. But Cas couldn't help it. He couldn't help the feeling of elation that swept through him every time he saw Dean smile, or every time he got a whif of the Omega's addictive scent. Around Dean he felt right, like he was meant to be there, and there was no denying that as fact. And even Gabriel couldn't refute it that ever since he had started hanging out with Dean more often, his false mating symptoms had all but vanished.

By the time that they were admitted into the exam room it was nearly eleven o’clock, and Dr. McKeon walked in just as Dean was getting settled onto the padded exam table. She smiled sweetly over at him, her gaze shifting from him and then to Cas, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

“Hello there,” she said, pulling on her gloves as she continued to stare at Cas. “And who might you be?”

“I’m…,” Cas trailed off, swallowing nervously as the doctor continued to stare at him, almost coldly. Dean finally saved him, clearing his throat and smiling over at Cas reassuringly.

“He’s the father. Castiel.”

“Oh,” the doctor’s expression softened, but not by much. She reached out to shake his hand, smiling tightly at him. “My name is Dr. McKeon, but you can call me Tessa,” she paused. “I trust you’re going to stay involved in Dean’s pregnancy, now that you’ve chosen to be an active part of it?”

“Tessa,” Dean whined quietly, but Cas shook his head at Dean, standing tall in front of the other Alpha.

“Yes, I do plan to take an active role in Dean’s pregnancy, now that he and I have been able to find each other again. I’m very much looking forward to being a father to Dean’s pups.”

“Hmm,” Tessa answered, looking Castiel up and down once more before she offered him a small smile, apparently deeming him acceptable, before she turned back to Dean. She smiled warmly down at the Omega, reaching out to grab his ankle and stroke her thumb back and forth over the skin that was exposed there.

“And how are you doing, sweetheart? The pups giving you much trouble?”

“Just having fun kicking my kidneys, I think,” he chuckled, stroking his palm back and forth over his swollen stomach. Tessa hummed.

“Yeah. Well, I’m just going to take your vitals, and then we can get a picture and checkup on how the rugrats are doing,” she said, smiling softly at the Omega and walking over to the computer. She typed a few things into the keyboard and then picked up her stethoscope, going back to checking Dean’s and the pups’ vitals.

When it came time for the sonogram, Dean invited Cas over to be closer to himself and the screen. The Alpha stepped over timidly, unsure of where to stand, but Dean smiled reassuringly at him and reached out to take his hand and pull him closer. Tessa glanced up at them as she smeared cool gel over Dean’s exposed belly, picking up the wand and pressing it against his skin. He gasped in surprise at the sensation that he just never seemed to get used to, listening intently to the whir whir whir of the machine as a blurry image came into focus on the screen.

“Oh,” Cas breathed out as the first clear image of their pups came into focus, and he placed a hand on the top of Dean’s belly, breath caught in his throat. Dean grinned up at him and Cas blinked rapidly, no doubt to keep his tears away, and finally looked away from the screen to smile down at Dean. “You are…,” he sighed, shaking his head and reaching up to wipe his eyes, “amazing.”

Dean blushed and ducked his head. “Awe geez, Cas…,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s just biology. You don’t mean that.”

“No, I do. I do mean that,” he whispered reverently, reaching out to place his hand on Dean’s round stomach again and stroke his fingers over the bare flesh. “You really are so amazing. You… You’re carrying my pups; you’ve given me a family… And I… I didn’t do anything to deserve it. I didn’t do anything to deserve the gift you’ve given me…”

“Stop crying,” Dean grumbled; a grumpy frown on his face as he stared at Cas’s neck, continuing to blush dark red. It wasn’t that he didn’t think an Alpha should cry; it was just that if Cas kept crying, he would surely start too. Cas sniffled loudly and laughed, continuing to stroke his hand back and forth over Dean’s stomach and smile brightly.

“Sorry. I just love them so much already.”

Dean paused, smiling up at Cas for a few silent moments before he reached around his stomach and placed his own hand over Cas’s. “Me too,” he whispered. And right then he was sure of it- he definitely wished that Cas would kiss him.

\---

Their lunch got cut short when Cas had to field an emergency phone call from the office back in Chicago; one that seemed to come as a surprise to him as much as it was a disappointment to Dean. When he came back to the table he asked for his food to be packed up in a doggy bag, and apologized to Dean but said that he had to get home immediately. He didn’t say much about the phone call, but from what Dean could discern the company was being sued for some sort of breach of contract, and the Board of Trustees were demanding that Cas return from disability to take care of it.

“They can’t do that to you,” Dean told him, and Cas let out a heavy sigh.

“I know that, but I really do need to take care of this. The head of the board can be a real pain in the ass, if you know what I mean,” he said. Dean nodded, pushing his chair back and calling to the waiter for a doggy bag and the check.

“Yeah, I know a thing or two about asshole bosses,” he chuckled, standing up and smiling softly over at Cas. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

Cas smiled at the Omega. “Thank you, Dean.” He said, pulling out his wallet and tossing some bills onto the table, enough to cover their lunch and a generous tip. He put his hand on the Omega’s back as they left the restaurant, Cas frowning to himself as they walked. They had nearly made it to the car when Cas cleared his throat. “I may need to return to Chicago.”

Dean ignored the way that his chest tightened at Cas’s words. “Okay.”

“It should only be for a brief time. And I’m sure that the company would be more than happy to give me some leeway in coming back here to visit, given I have a pregnant…,” he paused, his lips moving but no words coming out as he struggled to find a word to label Dean with, “Omega, back in Kansas.”

“Hmm,” Dean frowned thoughtfully, digging his keys out of his pocket and unlocking the Impala. “I don’t want to cause any trouble for you with your bosses.”

“Believe me, I’ll be the one causing trouble if they make it difficult for me to be with my pups.”

Dean couldn’t help the fact that his lips twitched up at Cas’s words. They talked easily as he drove Cas back to the Alpha’s brother’s apartment, and as he pulled to a stop in front of the building he leaned over, wrapping his arms around Cas in a hug. He seemed startled by the act of affection but he went with it, burying his nose in Dean’s neck and squeezing him tightly.

“I won’t be leaving just yet,” he said as he pulled back from the Omega. Dean nodded, smiling softly.

“The pups are going to miss you,” he said, and when he spoke, it was obvious that what he really meant by that was, I’m going to miss you. Cas sighed, placing a hand on Dean’s stomach and giving his side a bit of a squeeze.

“I’ll miss them too,” he whispered, his bright blue eyes flicking up to meet Dean’s. Dean swallowed, the Omega shifting a bit, leaning closer to Cas. Their foreheads knocked together and Cas gasped, his mouth opening as he leaned in and closed the distance, his arms tightening around Dean again as they both moaned, lips moving against one another. Dean sighed and ran his fingers through Cas’s hair desperately, pushing his tongue into Cas’s mouth and moaning.

They pulled apart after what felt like hours but was really only about five seconds, chests heaving. Dean sat back and stared at Cas, and the Alpha blushed, clearing his throat and moving away from him.

“I’ll text you later, Dean,” he said, opening up the door and stepping out. Dean watched him go, heart still pounding in his chest as a small smile blossomed over his lips. He and Cas had kissed.

He wasn’t expecting his phone to start ringing, and he frowned down at the screen when he saw the Caller I.D. He pressed SEND, lifting the phone to his ear and answering the call.

“Benny?” He asked.

“Hey, Dean,” his southern accent came through the speaker softly, and Dean hated the way that he felt his anger dissipate a little at the sound of the Alpha’s voice. “I was wondering if you had some free time? I’ve, uh… I’ve got some of your stuff, at my apartment. Clothes and stuff I figured you’d want.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I can swing by now, actually. Is that okay?”

“Sure. Sure, I’ll see you soon, then,” Benny drawled, sounding somewhat surprised by the fact that Dean had agreed so easily to coming over. Dean bit his lips.

“Alright. And… Well, I’ll see you in a couple minutes,” he said, then hung up. He let out a heavy sigh as he dropped his phone into the center console, pulling out onto the street and trying to navigate himself back to the highway and to Benny’s house.

It was mid-afternoon by the time that Dean arrived at Benny’s house, and he rang the doorbell, standing awkwardly on the steps as he waited to be let in. Back when they were dating he would have just let himself in, and though he still had his key, he just didn’t feel comfortable doing that anymore.

The door swung open a few seconds later, and Dean was confronted by the sight of Benny, unshaven and grizzly looking, bags under his eyes but a smile on his face at the sight of Dean. Dean smiled timidly back at him.

“Hey,” he mumbled. Benny smiled and stepped to the side, letting the Omega in as his eyes swept over his body.

“You’ve gotten bigger,” he said, then frowned to himself. “I didn’t mean that like you’re-”

“I know,” Dean said quickly, laughing softly and turning to look up at Benny. His smile slowly fell away from his face as Benny stared at him, until an awkward silence fell between them. Finally Benny cleared his throat.

“Your stuff is over here,” he said, gesturing towards the dining room table, where a box full of clothing and a few miscellaneous items was sitting. He picked it up, bringing it over to the couch and setting it down in front of Dean. Dean smiled.

“Thanks.”

“You look amazing,” Benny blurted out. Dean’s cheeks turned red and he looked away.

“Benny…,” he whispered, scratching the back of his neck. Benny took a step closer, his nostrils flaring as he got closer to the Omega.

“You smell like him,” he whispered. Dean’s jaw clenched and he continued to avoid Benny’s gaze.

“We just had lunch. I had a… uh, a doctor’s appointment,” he said, resting a hand on his stomach. Benny bit his lips.

“So are you two… together? Or…?”

“No,” Dean answered quickly. Benny took another step closer and Dean finally met his gaze, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. He tilted his chin up, blazing green eyes meeting honey-brown ones as the Alpha took one step closer, cupping Dean’s face and leaning down to press their lips together.

Dean hummed and moved his lips, ducking his head away from Benny and stepping back. He shook his head, tears coming to his eyes as he stepped away.

“Hey, Cher, don’t cry--” he started, reaching out to grip Dean’s shoulder, steadying him. The Omega stopped, body shaking as he looked up at Benny. His lips trembled.

“Benny,” he croaked, tears running down his cheeks. “I’m so… I don’t know what to do. I’m so scared and I don’t-”

“Hey,” Benny breathed, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around Dean tightly. Dean choked on his own tears and buried his face in Benny’s chest, his whole body wracked with sobs. He was so confused; so conflicted, and right now Benny was really the only one he could think of that he could really trust to talk to and to understand, at least somewhat, what he was feeling. The Alpha shushed him, carding his fingers through his hair. They stood in each other’s arms for some time, until finally Benny asked softly, “Are you hungry, Cher?”

Dean wasn’t even ashamed to nod, and he offered Benny a weak smile as he pulled away from him, leading Dean to the kitchen to get something to eat. He put a bag of popcorn into the microwave and poured them both some juice, leaning against the counter and looking over at the Omega.

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” he said quietly. Dean nodded, taking a long sip of his juice.

“It’s fine. I didn’t exactly move away,” he chuckled. Benny shrugged.

“No, you didn’t,” he agreed. “That doesn’t mean I was any less wrong to do it in the first place.” The microwave made a noise and Benny moved, opening up the door and pulling out the hot bag of popcorn. He ripped it open and dumped the kernels into a big bowl, passing it to Dean and smiling as the Omega reached in to grab a handful. “So… I’m not going to do anything like that again. This is just me and you, talking.”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Benny smiled sweetly at him.

“So Cher, tell me what's up with you.”

Dean shrugged, looking down at his feet and taking an extra-long time to chew and swallow his popcorn. Once he finally did he looked up at Benny, and seeing the concerned frown on the Alpha's face, he felt his resolve crumble.

"I just feel all mixed up. You know, with us and now with Castiel too, and I've got to think of the pups too...," he rambled on, his lips trembling as he spoke. "I just don't know what the right thing to do is, I was never good at this kind of stuff, you know..."

"Dean, take a breather," Benny said softly. He honestly looked scared as he stared at Dean, and the Omega honestly did not blame him. He had never seen Dean like this- freaked out; sweating; emotional- and it was probably a terrible sight. "Let's start from the beginning. You're mixed up about us?"

Dean snorted, "Of course you would want to talk about that," he mumbled, but his tone was less pissed off and more mildly amused. He let out a heavy sigh, picking at the threats of his jacket and avoiding Benny's gaze. "I just think our relationship ended really abruptly. It was a lot, you know? I really was almost ready to mate with you, and we were definitely close, scent marked and everything," he sighed. "It's been hard, without you."

"It's been hard for me too, Cher," Benny said softly. Dean swallowed.

"I miss you," he whispered. Benny laughed.

"But you're the one who broke things off."

"So that doesn't give me the right to miss you?" Dean snapped, narrowing his eyes at Benny. The Alpha shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I didn't say that. But... Back to the subject. You were saying something about us ending things too soon?"

Dean huffed, "It's not like that," he grumbled. "It's just that I miss you; I miss your scent. You can't just go from being that close to someone, that bonded, and then cut ties completely."

"So what do you want?" Benny asked softly, hope flickering in his honey-colored eyes. "You want to try again, or something?"

"No," Dean said quickly, frowning. "What you did... I don't think I can really get passed that."

"So you're not gonna forgive me?" Benny asked, his nose crinkling up. "It was a mistake! I don't expect you to take me back, but can't you at least try to forgive me?"

"I already forgave you, Benny," Dean said, shaking his head. "I forgave you that same day you told me. But forgiving isn't the same as forgetting."

Benny was quiet for a moment before he nodded. "Right. Right, yeah," he quietly agreed. Dean reached out and brushed his arm, smiling softly at him. Benny flashed a small smile back at him, glancing over at the kitchen counter and picking up the bowl of popcorn. "More?"

"Certainly," Dean chuckled, serving himself another handful of kernels and munching on them delightedly. The delicious buttery, salty flavor of it already seemed to be doing wonders for his mood, as he was no longer shaking or freaking out. "So... What I'm trying to say is simple. I think we shouldn't avoid each other, like we have been. I think I want... I want us to be friends."

"Friends?" Benny asked, raising an eyebrow. Dean nodded and he paused for a moment, contemplating the Omega's words before he smiled. "I think I'd like that."

Dean grinned. "Good. Me too," he said. Benny nodded.

"I mean, we were friends before. I think we might've even worked better as friends."

"Yeah, you weren't as possessive or clingy," Dean teased, his tone lighthearted as he reached out to jab at Benny's chest with his finger. Benny grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"I was not clingy," he pouted, turning away to take a sip of his juice. He hummed against the glass, setting it down and snapping his fingers, as if remembering something. "Speaking of which, you said something about Cas... Caste-al? I don't think I'm saying that right."

"Castiel," Dean enunciated. "And, uh... Yeah. But I don't think I want to talk to you about that."

Benny frowned. "What? Why? We're friends," he whined, and he almost sounded insulted. Dean huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at the ceiling.

"Because, Benny, we may be friends but we are still ex-boyfriends, and I'm not going to talk about my love-life with you."

"Love life?" He announced to the kitchen, sounding shocked and now genuinely insulted. Dean cursed under his breath and Benny snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Really? It's been like two weeks."

"Three, actually," Dean mumbled. Benny growled back at him and Dean's eyes narrowed at him, his jaw clenching. "And not that it's any of your business, we really aren't together. It's just... Complicated."

"Has he knotted you?" Benny snarled, his eyes flashing red for a moment. Dean took a step away from him and Benny seemed to realize he was seething; the entire room stank like his jealousy. The Alpha took a deep breath and shook his head, clenching his fists at his sides. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. Maybe this was a bad idea."

"Maybe it was," Dean mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Benny sighed heavily.

"I want to help you, Dean. I really do. I want to be your friend. But I think... I just need some time to adjust to not being your Alpha. To just being your friend again."

Dean nodded. "I get it. And I agree with you. I just don't want to never talk to you again."

Benny shook his head vehemently. "No, no, I don't want that either. I want to see you. Just... I need to ease back into it. You know?"

"Yeah," Dean smiled. "Maybe I can swing around the Roadhouse sometime soon. I've been dying for one of your burgers."

Benny laughed. "You're an addict," he chuckled, shaking his head back and forth as his eyes crinkled at the corners. Dean grinned, shrugging, and Benny sighed. "How's Sam holdin' up?"

"Pretty decent. Much better than he was when you last saw him," he snorted. "Much more docile, I'd say." Benny shrugged.

"Hey, I had it coming. But I'm glad the kid's doing alright. I know he and I didn't get on very well, but he's a good kid."

"You're preaching to the choir," Dean chuckled, smiling proudly as he thought of Sam. Sure, his brother had made some mistakes, but he was still pretty damn smart, and a high achiever too. "But I think he's getting a little restless. Stir crazy. And he seems dizzy with overprotectiveness lately."

"You've been hanging out around Castiel a lot, haven't you?" Benny asked. Dean frowned.

"We've been...," Dean trailed off, opting to simply nod rather than explain. "Yeah, I guess we have."

"Well then that's why," Benny said very simply. "See, Alphas are really a lot simpler than you think we are. We're territorial- no matter how much it pisses you off- and we don't like it when other Alphas encroach on our territory. It's not out of disrespect to you or any other Omegas... It's just the way we are built. So, Sam may not be your mate but biologically, to him, he's your pack Alpha. That's probably part of the reason he and I didn't get along so well before. He's gonna be protective of you and the pups. It's not a bad thing."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to deal with him grumbling and growling all day...," Dean pouted. Benny laughed.

"He is a pouter, isn't he?"

Dean smiled fondly. "That he is," he said. "And so are you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right! Another chapter (In two days??? What is going on???) I just had to make it up to you guys that the last one took so long to get out. Anyway... I hope you guys like it. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!! Your comments are my lifesource (and strawberries. Strawberries are my lifesource too, so if you want to send me some...)
> 
> Anyway, I have to go. I'm going bowling :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [ by The Police](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM)  
> 

“Gabriel is going to drive me to the airport, and I’ll call you once I touch down. I’ll only be gone for two weeks, three weeks _tops_ , and if you need me for some reason I can always just tell the Board to go screw and I’ll get the first flight back to Kansas. And I know she doesn’t really like me, but if there’s an emergency Dr. McKeon has my phone number, and so do you and Sam, so that shouldn’t be-”

“Cas,” Dean halted his rant by pressing his index finger gently against the Alpha’s lips, pushing down so that his mouth was mushed up and he almost resembled a goldfish. Cas clamped his jaw shut and narrowed his eyes at Dean, who found the action so undeniably adorable that he had to smile.

“I was fine for seven months without you, I’ll be fine another two weeks. I promise,” he said. The words were spoken kindly and with reassurance in mind, but as soon as Dean saw the way that Cas’s face fell at his words, he regretted what he said. He opened his mouth and took a deep breath, ready to reconcile what he'd said, but Cas was already turning away so that he could finish packing his bags.

The two of them were currently sitting on Castiel’s bed together, a suitcase propped up between them and a selection of Castiel’s clothes laid out on the mattress and the floor. Dean watched as Cas picks up each of his garments and meticulously folded them at the seams, sorting the materials so that there was a designated spot for everything, with more than enough room to spare. It was the polar opposite of how Dean usually packed his suitcases, and the Omega couldn’t help but wonder who their pups were going to act like when they grew up.

Dean wasn’t sure how long he was daydreaming, but when he finally regained awareness he realized that Cas was staring at him. Dean blushed and flashed the Alpha a small smile, then looked down at his lap and began to pick at a stain on his jeans.

“Penny for your thoughts, gorgeous?”

“Don’t call me that,” Dean grumbled, almost instinctively, and Castiel frowned.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, Dean, I just… I don’t know where we stand right now. And I’m not going to lie to you, because I don’t think that that’s how you start a healthy relationship, but I want to be with you. I’ve wanted it in one way or another since that night we spent together so many months ago, and now that I’ve gotten the chance to know you, I want it even more,” he let out a heavy sigh at the end of his monologue, blue eyes bright and shining as they bore into Dean’s face. The staring should have made Dean uncomfortable, he knew, but somehow it didn’t. Instead he reached out with a surprisingly steady hand and placed it over Cas’s.

“I know what you want, Cas. You just have to give me some time. I’m…,” his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat and he bit his plush lips, trying to articulate his words correctly. “I don’t want either one of us to make any rash decisions right now, because of the pregnancy or your false mating. And I know what you’re going to say, but…”

“No, no, I agree with you,” Cas said quickly, shaking his head and giving Dean’s fingers a squeeze. “And I’m not going to pressure you into anything, or even let myself make any impulsive decisions. I’m actually a very levelheaded guy, you know.”

Dean snorted and began to laugh, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He rocked forward, his entire body moving with his laughter as he leaned his forehead against Cas’s shoulder. Cas smiled shyly down at the Omega and pressed the palm of his hand into Dean’s back, peering curiously down at Dean and narrowing his eyes.

“What? Am I not levelheaded?”

“No, no, it’s just…,” he chuckled, shaking his head and wiping the corners of his eyes. “It’s just that you’re so adorable.”

“Oh,” Cas’s cheeks reddened and he let his hand drop back down onto the mattress. He turned and picked up a pair of blue trousers, lips twitching slightly as he carefully folded the material over his knee. “Well in that case, I think you’re very adorable too, Dean Winchester.”

“Always the smooth talker,” Gabriel piped from the doorway of the bedroom, and he and Dean looked up to notice for the first time that Gabriel was leaning against the wall, watching them. Dean blushed and scooted away from Cas, and the Alpha cleared his throat, straightening his back out and tilting his chin up in his brother’s direction.

“What’s up, Gabe?” He asked.

“Kali and I were just about to go out and get some dinner, wanted to see if you would join us. But I didn’t know you had company, so I guess we’ll just bring home a doggy bag for you…”  
“Actually, I was just about to get going,” Dean said, picking up his phone from where it sat on the bedside table. Castiel looked as if he wanted to object, but Dean was already easing himself off of the bed and waddling over to the desk where his coat was thrown haphazardly, so he didn’t say anything. Instead he simply smiled at the Omega, standing up and going to help him shrug his coat over his shoulders.

“I can call you a taxi,” Cas said softly, his hands lingering on Dean’s sides in an almost possessive manner. Dean’s Omega keened at the contact and he smiled up at Cas, momentarily forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be leaving as he got lost in the brightness of the Alpha’s effulgent azure eyes.

“What?” He asked after a few moments, his brow furrowing when he saw the expectant look on Castiel’s face. The Alpha smiled indulgently as Gabriel made a mock-barfing noise in the doorway.

“You two are going to give me fucking diarrhea. Stop looking at each other like you’re in love, will you? My cold dead heart can’t take all the ooey-gooey eye-sex.”

“Don’t curse in front of the pups,” Castiel snapped at his brother, placing a protective hand over Dean’s belly. Gabriel’s eye-roll was audible as he swung his body around the doorframe, stomping off down the hallway. Dean chuckled and placed his hand over Cas’s on his stomach, raising a concerned eyebrow at Castiel.

“You’re not really gonna be one of those parents that censors curse words in front of infants, are you?” He asked, nose scrunching up. Castiel chuckled and shook his head, flashing Dean a gummy smile and rubbing his palm over the Omega’s gravid belly.

“Nah, I just wanted to get rid of my brother,” he said. Dean laughed loudly and shook his head, pulling out his phone.

“Speaking of brothers, I was just about to call mine to come pick me up. I could help you finish packing while we wait for him to come get me?” He suggested, bringing the phone up to his ear as he pressed _SEND_. Cas nodded.

“Sure. I’ll get started,” he said, then turned his attention back to the piles of clothing that were spread throughout his bedroom. Dean waited a couple of rings before Sam finally picked up, and then there were a few moments of shuffling before his brother finally spoke.

“Hey, Dean, what’s up?” He panted. Dean frowned at the breathy tone of his brother’s voice, wondering what he could possibly be doing at- he checked Cas’s alarm clock- seven o’clock in the evening to sound like he was running a marathon. Actually, knowing Sam that was kind of a possibility, so…

“Are you at the gym, man?” He asked. Sam snorted.

“Um, no. Is that all you called to ask me? I’m a little _busy_ …,” he trailed off, and Dean’s brows furrowed in even deeper confusion.

“Busy with what? I’m at Cas’s place, but his brother wants to leave for dinner so I was wondering if you could come pick me up.”

“Um…,” Sam sounded awfully distracted, and a moment later it became blindingly obvious as to _why_ he sounded so distracted when Dean heard the voice of a woman on the other end telling Sam that if he didn’t hurry up, she would ‘finish it her goddamn self’. Dean nearly choked on his own tongue when he heard that, eyes going wide as Cas turned to look at him in concern.

“Dude, are you having _sex_?” He blurted out. Cas’s eyebrows shot up in shock and his lips twitched up into a smirk. Sam cleared his throat on the other end.

“Look Dean, I, uh… I’m sorry. Maybe call Charlie for a ride or something. I have to go. Okay?”

“Yes, yes, go!” Dean yelled into the receiver. “And never pick the phone up during sex again!” He shouted the last bit just as he heard his brother hang up, and he huffed in exasperation, stuffing his phone into his back pocket and crossing his arms over his chest.

“I take it your brother is a little busy at the moment?” Cas all but grinned over at Dean. The Omega rolled his eyes and mimed Cas’s movements, imitating his words right back at him. The Alpha laughed and plopped down on the mattress, sighing in relief when he could take the weight off of his injured leg. 

“Doin’ okay there, Little Alpha?” Dean asked as he scrolled through the contacts on his phone, pulling up Charlie’s number and pressing the _SEND_ button again. Castiel shrugged as Dean lifted the phone to his ear, reaching down to scratch at the cast on his ankle.

“It’s nothing more than a nuisance at this point. The pain is so mild… I just wish the doctor would take the cast off for me already.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, reaching out with his own foot to gently nudge at Cas’s leg. The Alpha smiled back at him, moving his leg so that he could knock Dean’s foot. A moment later Charlie picked up.

“You’ve reached Narnia, Queen Bradbury speaking. How can I help you?”

Dean chuckled. “If you were the Queen of Narnia wouldn’t that make you the White Witch?”

“Ah, no, young padawan. It would mean that I’m Susan, who is the baddest bitch in all the land, don’t even get me started on how underrated she is.”

“Okay, okay,” Dean laughed. “Look, can you come pick me up? I’m at Castiel’s house, and I can text you the address, but I-”

“Of course. Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine,” Dean flashed a small smile in Cas’s direction when the Alpha frowned over at him, and then he cleared his throat. “Sam’s just busy, and I can’t exactly drive myself, considering how fat I am now.”

“Oh. Well I’ll be there in a jiffy. Text me the address and then maybe we can go get some coffee, or something,” her answered cheerfully. Dean’s nose crinkled.

“Coffee? It’s seven pm!” Dean laughed. Charlie huffed out a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

“Yes, but we have gossip to catch up on, and we still have to plan your baby shower,” she quipped.

“Baby show… what?”

“Just text me the address already, dumbo!” she said, and with that she hung up. Dean’s eyebrows shot up and he stared down at his phone, then looked up at Cas, who had an amused smile on his phone. Dean decided to say nothing, instead opting to roll his eyes as he texted Charlie the address to Gabriel’s house.

“She’s crazy,” he sighed. Castiel smiled.

“I take it you’re having a baby shower?” He asked, amending himself when he saw the scowl on Dean’s face. “Ah, excuse me. I meant to say a nonconsensual baby shower.”

Dean huffed. “Apparently,” he grumbled, though his lips did twitch up into a small smile as he stepped closer to Cas, sitting down next to him on the bed. Cas dropped the clothes he had been folding and leaned closer to Dean, subtly scenting his neck. “I’ll make sure it’s planned for when you get back, so you can be there,” he smiled up at the Alpha and leaned ever closer, his hand resting on his belly and rubbing back and forth absentmindedly. “It’s probably about time you met my family, anyway.”

“Hmm, I’d like to meet your family,” Cas said, reaching out and laying his palm flat on Dean’s belly right beside the Omega’s own hand. “Do they approve of your pregnancy, or…?”

“Nobody _approves_ of a pregnancy out of wedlock,” Dean rolled his eyes, and though his words were bitter, he didn’t smell very annoyed at all. Moreover he just seemed unfazed by the facts he was reciting, and Cas wasn’t sure if he should be angered or depressed by this fact. He shifted his hand on Dean’s stomach and moved imperceptibly closer to the Omega, his shoulders squaring as if he was somehow getting ready to defend Dean. Dean didn’t seem to notice, and if he did, he let Cas posture without mentioning a thing about it. “But my family is somewhat accepting, I guess. My Uncle Bobby lives a few hours away with his mate Karen, and we haven’t really seen each other since before I found out about the pups. But he seems okay with it. I’m sure he’ll come to the shower, anyway… Spoil the pups rotten, too, like he did with Sam and me.”

Castiel smiled fondly as Dean spoke; relishing in the way that Dean’s eyes glistened and twinkled when he spoke about his family. He wished desperately that he could speak so passionately about his own family members. Because while Hannah and Gabriel loved him and he certainly loved them, too, all of their childhoods were just so messed up after their father left and they were stuck with their manipulative, neurotically religious mother that none of them could ever really feel that familial _closeness_ that one desires with their siblings. And after Anna had died… it had done nothing to strengthen their relationship as a family. Gabriel had up and left to move out to the Middle of Nowhere, Kansas with his mate; Hannah stopped talking to Naomi for almost three years and basically fell off the radar completely until she finally settled down, mated with Inias and finally reached out to the family once again; and Cas, who was the youngest and stuck living with their mother for financial reasons, had withdrawn into himself and became extremely depressed. He’d nearly flunked out of college in his sophomore year, and none of his siblings or even his own mother had the wherewithal to give a shit at the time. Cas still thought of that period in his life as the ‘dark ages’ and with good reason. He’d nearly lost his entire family and himself, on top of losing his best friend and sister.

“Hey, what’s the matter? You don’t want to meet them?” Dean’s soft, rough voice brought him back to reality, and Cas’s brows furrowed as he looked down at the scowling Omega. A moment later an extremely sour, pungent scent filled his nostrils, and it took him a moment to realize that it was his own distressed scent that he was smelling. He coughed, scratching at the back of his neck and scooting away from Dean.

“I’m sorry. Of course I want to meet your family. I just…,” he trailed off, his brows creasing as he tried to articulate himself. Dean reached out and patted his thigh.

“It’s okay, buddy, I get it,” he said quickly, giving the Alpha’s thigh a squeeze and standing up. He stretched lazily, stifling a yawn and rubbing his hands back and forth over his stomach where his shirt had ridden up.

“Heh, I guess I should take Charlie up on that cup of coffee, huh?” He mumbled, more to himself than anybody else. Castiel blinked up at him, sitting in awkward silence for a few moments before he turned to pick up his clothes and continue folding them. Dean frowned, contemplating for a moment if he should ask if he had done something to upset Cas, who now wore an unsettled frown on his face. He decided against it though, because after all, Cas was not his Alpha.

He was not Castiel’s Omega.

“I’m going to get going,” he said awkwardly, and he didn’t even wait to give Cas the chance to respond before he turned and walked out of the room, pulling his jacket tighter around his large body as he navigated his way to the front door. Somewhere in the back of his mind (or maybe his heart) he knew that it was wrong of him to be storming out like this, and he knew that he was probably only hurting Cas with his actions, but he couldn’t help it. If Cas was going to act all weird about meeting his family, or whatever crab had suddenly climbed up his ass upon mention of his Uncle Bobby… Well, Dean knew a bad sign when he saw one. And he knew he had to get out of there.

It turned out to work perfectly, because Dean hadn’t been out of Gabriel’s house for more than three minutes when Charlie pulled up in her blue Jeep and honked the horn. She grinned at her Omega friend as he jogged over to the car, clambering out so that she could help him into the passenger seat. Her smile wavered a bit when she caught a whiff of Dean’s scent, but basically reading her mind Dean waved her off before she could ask any probing questions.

“Everything alright?” She asked as she climbed back into the driver’s seat, turning the key in the ignition and speeding down the street. Dean gripped the seat harshly as the car jerked out onto the road, finally responding to the redhead once they were safely gliding along with the rest of traffic. He let out a heavy sigh, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the dashboard.

“He’s not my Alpha,” he spat out before he even registered himself that the words were tumbling from his lips. Charlie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she spared a glance over at Dean, trying to read his expression while also paying attention to the road.

“And that’s a… good thing?” She guessed. Dean huffed and shook his head, looking down at his nails and picking some flecks of dirt out from underneath them. He scowled, the smell of distressed Omega filling the car and causing Charlie to wrinkle her nose.

“I’m not sure yet,” he mumbled. Charlie was quiet and Dean let out a heavy sigh, tilting his head back until it thumped against the headrest of the passenger seat. “But forget about me… I’m sick of talking about me. How was work today?”

“Ugh,” Charlie rolled his eyes, making a gagging sound in the back of her throat. Dean laughed and Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, pressing her lips together and clicking her tongue against the back of her front teeth. “Oh, don’t you laugh Mister My-Back-Hurts-So-Much-That-I-Can’t-Come-To-Work-But-I-Can-Still-Go-Hang-Out-With-My-Boyfriend.”

“Try fitting that on a driver’s license,” Dean mumbled, then glared in Charlie’s direction. “And he’s not my boyfriend,” he snapped. Charlie whistled, turning her blinker on so that she could turn into the Starbuck’s parking lot.

“Hit a sore spot there, huh?” She teased, then saw the scowl on Dean’s face, and quickly decided to change the subject back to work. “But work was boring, mostly uneventful. Abbadon did get her tie stuck in the copy machine at one point, but it didn’t choke her to death, sadly. I guess that only happens in Hollywood.”

Dean snorted. “How the hell did that bitch get her tie stuck in the copier?” He laughed. “Why the hell is she wearing a tie, anyway? Does she think she’s a man or something?”

“I doubt it. She’s way too hot to ever be mistaken for a man,” Charlie answered, finally finding a parking spit and turning the car off. Dean gagged, and Charlie rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up. She may be the biggest cunt on the face of the earth, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a really nice set of-”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Dean yelled, covering his belly with his hands and using the same excuse to get Charlie to shut up that Cas had used earlier that afternoon to get Gabriel out of his bedroom. “Fetal ears are listening, so please refrain from rambling about how our bitchy boss gets you _hot_.”

Charlie laughed. “So you can say bitch but I can’t say that Abbadon is-”

“I said no!” Dean yelled, then quickly exited the car. Charlie laughed loudly and slipped out of her own seat, jogging after the Omega as he walked towards the Starbucks entrance. 

“Ugh, slow down,” she groaned once she caught up to him. “Those pups are going to pop out as track stars if you keep walking like that.”

“I don’t think that that’s how it works,” Dean mumbled, chuckling to himself and smiling up at Charlie. She shrugged.

“Whatever. Point is, you know those pups are going to be star athletes. Between your bow legs and Castiel’s thighs…”

Dean narrowed his eyes at Charlie. “You’ve never even met Cas.”

“Ooh, so he’s Cas now?” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows at the Omega. He rolled his eyes violently and stepped forward, studying the menu on the wall. Charlie smirked. “Besides, I’ve seen pictures. And you don’t need pictures to tell that that boy has got some serious thigh game going on.”

“Incidentally, he actually is a track star,” Dean said, blushing slightly when Charlie nudged him in the side and squealed happily. Dean huffed and crossed his arms over his chest again, turning his face away so that Charlie couldn’t see his lips twitching. “He’s won like two marathons.”

“Oh my god,” Charlie squeaked, grabbing onto his arm and squeezing tightly. “Dean, do you love him?” She whispered. Dean felt his heart jump into his throat almost immediately, and after a brief moment he opened his mouth to reply when the cashier came into view and smiled at him.

“Good evening and what can I get you today?” She smiled politely. Dean snapped his mouth shut and cast a wayward glance at Charlie, who was glaring at him now, before he turned back to the cashier and smiled kindly at her.

“Good evening to you too. I’ll get a caramel macchiato, extra whipped cream, and… I guess I’ll get a bagel, too, and a blueberry muffin,” he paused, frowning to himself as he studied the menu board behind the barista intently. She tapped at the computer in front of her, then smiled up at him.

“Is that all?”

“Uh, no. I think I’m going to get a ham and cheese panini too,” he said, blushing. The woman smiled sweetly at him and tapped the order in, then let her eyes flicker down to the swell of his huge belly. 

“When are you due, if you don’t mind me asking?” She asked. Dean raised an eyebrow at the girl.

“What are you talking about? I’m not pregnant,” he answered. Charlie burst out laughing behind him.

“Oh, shut up, Dean. I’m sorry, he’s an ass…,” she stepped forward, shoving Dean out of the way. Dean cackled beside her, holding his stomach and trying to calm his laughter as Charlie placed her order and paid for the both of them.

“You’re a jerk,” Charlie mumbled as she led Dean to one of the free tables. Dean chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh, shut up and stop complaining,” he paused. “Did you get that girl’s number?”

Charlie grinned, holding up her receipt and waving it in Dean’s face, so that he could see the phone number written in green sharpie on the back of it. “Bingo.”

Dean snorted and shook his head, plopping down in the empty seat of a corner booth and letting out a heavy sigh. Charlie sat down across from him, tapping her fingers against the tabletop and swinging her foot out to she could nudge Dean’s foot. “So,” she smiled. “About this baby shower…”

“Look Red, I know you’re being nice an’ all but I really don’t want you to do anything extravagant, okay? I really don’t need to have a baby shower.”

Charlie’s mouth fell open and she gaped at the Omega sitting across from her, a dumbfounded expression on her face. Dean rolled his eyes and reached towards her, placing her finger under her jaw and closing it for her. She batted his hand away almost immediately, glowering in his direction and wagging a finely manicured finger at him.

“Nu-uh, this is not going to fly. You’ve already banned me from throwing you any birthday parties _ever_ \- which I still think is ridiculous by the way- and I am not going to let you swindle your way out of having this baby shower which you so desperately deserve,” she said, all in one breath. Dean’s jaw clenched and he continued to glare daggers at her, to which she responded by rolling her eyes and looking away from him. Finally Dean sighed.

“Fine, fine. What did you have in mind?” He conceded. Charlie’s features lit up and she began to ramble about her plans to book a room at a local pizzeria, where they could order lunch and have the baby shower. Dean listened with mild interest, nodding along with most of what Charlie was saying and nixing a few ideas here and there.

What Dean wanted was a small baby shower. He didn’t like crowds or large parties, especially when the attention was focused on him. He would rather just have a small gathering with direct family and a few choice friends. Charlie, on the other hand, was a social butterfly who seemed to want to invite the entirety of the Midwest to the baby shower (okay, that was maybe a bit of an over exaggeration, but Dean _really_ didn’t want to have a big party).

Charlie seemed to finally give up when Dean vetoed the idea of party games. Charlie groaned loudly in frustration, banging her fist on the table. “You can’t say no to party games, Dean! Haven’t you ever been to a baby shower before?”

“No, and I’d rather not ever go to one. Not even my own.”

“You are impossible,” Charlie complained, turning away from the Omega and crossing her arms over her chest like a petulant child. “I knew I should have just gone behind your back and planned the whole think with Sam…”

Dean chuckled, a small smirk ghosting over his features as he thought of the brief phone conversation he had had with his brother earlier that day. “Yeah, well Sam is a little busy anyway, so…”

“What do you mean?” Charlie asked, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. She leaned forward, a concerned expression etched onto her face as she whispered, “He’s doing okay, right?”

“He’s doing just fine,” Dean quickly reassured his friend, who he knew was well aware of Sam’s little run-in with drugs earlier that year. “He’s actually thinkin’ of starting up school again. At least, that’s what we were talking about a few nights ago.”

“That’s nice,” Charlie smiled softly at the Omega. “He should go back to school. He’s very smart.”

“Hell, I know. You’re preaching to the choir,” Dean chuckled, and he glowed with pride as he thought about how far Sam really had come to get to where he was today. Or, at least where he had been before he met Ruby. His smile flickered into a small frown as his thoughts turned to a darker place, and he remembered the conversation he had had with Sam earlier that day. Remembered what Sam had been _doing_ earlier that day. And with whom? Had he been with Ruby? It was something he hadn’t thought of until just now, and the very idea of it made him feel sick. Worry set into his bones and curled low in his gut, filling the booth with a sour stench as Dean yanked his phone from his pocket. “I have to call him, actually.”

Charlie opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but a moment later their order was called. Dean waved her off to go get it, and with an annoyed huff the female Alpha slid out of her seat and walked back up to the barista’s station to receive their food and drinks. In the meanwhile, Dean nervously tapped his fingers against the table as he waited for Sam to pick up the phone. Of course he didn’t pick up (because Dean had told him not to pick up during sex ever again, which it figured would backfire on him merely an hour later), so he opted to leave a message instead.

“Hey Sam, just calling to check in. Um… Just call me back as soon as possible. And, just saying, if you’re doing something stupid so help me God…,” he trailed off, frowning against the receiver. He cleared his throat loudly after a few seconds. “Just call me back man,” he

Charlie returned to the table seconds later, arms laden with food. She passed the food towards Dean, smiling tightly at him and tapping her fingers against the tabletop. “So what’s up?”

“I called Sam earlier to ask him for a ride, but when he picked up he was sort of in the middle of… Well…,” Dean trailed off, wiggling her eyebrows. Charlie’s eyes widened.

“Really? I didn’t know that Sam had a girlfriend,” she smirked. Dean shook his head, picking up his ham and cheese panini and taking a large bite. With the half-chewed food still in his mouth he spoke.

“He doesn’t,” he snapped, nostrils flaring as he once again thought about the fact that his brother might be with Ruby; might be in danger. He growled lowly to himself, shaking his head. “At least I’m pretty sure he doesn’t. And if he’s hanging out with Ruby again…”

“Hey, Dean, it’ll be okay,” Charlie whispered, reaching out to give the Omega’s hand a squeeze. Dean’s bright green eyes met her brown ones and he swallowed, suddenly feeling nauseous at the taste of the panini. He set the food back down on his plate and squeezed Charlie’s hand back, squeezing his eyes shut.

“It was hard enough seeing him go through all that stuff once. You know, the drugs… The withdrawal… It’s nasty stuff. I don’t think I’d be able to deal with it if I had to see him go through all of that again. I don’t think he’d be able to deal with going through that again, actually.”

“I know, Dean. But right now you need to calm down. This whole booth stinks like distressed Omega and even I’m getting antsy, and you know I don’t even care for how Omegas smell.” She said softly. Dean took a deep, steadying breath, looking around at the other patrons in the café, many of whom were casting concerned and slightly scared glances his way. His cheeks darkened and he took a deep breath, squeezing Charlie’s fingers tightly one last time before he sagged against the booth and nodded to his friend.

“I know I’m being irrational. I’ll just wait for him to call.”

“He probably just met some nice girl and decided to take her out on a date. It probably just went well. Don’t let yourself have a panic attack over it,” she paused briefly before adding. “It’s not good for the pups.”

“Yeah, I know. I know,” he mumbled, rubbing his hand back and forth over his stomach. Charlie smiled softly at him and pushed his neatly wrapped food packages closer to the Omega.

“Now eat. I didn’t pay seventeen dollars for your fat ass to throw all this food out,” she teased. Dean huffed and picked up his half eaten sandwich, glaring at Charlie as he stuffed the rest of it into his mouth.

“I’m not a fatass,” he grumbled. Charlie laughed and nodded, sitting back in her seat and sipping her coffee nonchalantly.

“Whatever you say, bud.”

“Ah, shut the hell up.”

\---

It was a little past midnight when Charlie dropped Dean off at his apartment building. When he entered his and Sam’s apartment it was dark, and he groaned loudly as he plopped down onto the living room couch. He shuffled tiredly, trying to reach around his belly to remove his shoes.

He wasn’t expecting Sam to walk into the room from the kitchen, and he let out a high pitched yelp when his brother sidled up to him and chuckled, “You need some help with that?”

“Goddammit, Sam!” He cried, standing up with half-removed shoe and punching his brother in the chest. Sam was too busy laughing to notice, though, and he didn’t stop wheezing until long after Dean had settled into the couch, grumbling expletives to himself. “Where the hell were you, today? I called you like six hours ago and you never got back to me.”

“Sorry, my phone died,” Sam explained, coming around the side of the couch and sitting down by his brother’s feet. He batted the Omega’s hands away and worked on removing his sneakers from his swollen feet, nose crinkling at the smell of Dean’s sweaty feet. Dean rolled his eyes at his brother.

“Your phone was dead for six hours?” He grumbled, not looking up at his brother. Sam shrugged.

“I was a little busy with things other than charging my phone, you know,” he retorted. Dean narrowed his eyes at his brother, then swiftly leaned forward and nosed at Sam’s neck. The Alpha growled and pushed Dean away.

“What the hell?”

“Just checking,” Dean said quickly, putting his hands up in mock surrender. Sam narrowed his eyes at him.

“Checking for what? What do you think I was doing?”

Dean was quiet, and Sam rolled his eyes, standing up and walking away. Just before he could leave the room Dean cleared his throat, and Sam turned to look back at him.

“You know I just care about you, right?” He asked quietly. Sam frowned, fully turning around and walking back to the couch. He placed his hands on the back of it, cocking his leg to the side so that he could lean towards his brother.

“Of course I know that. I just don’t get why you’re acting so weird. Is this about me picking up in the middle of having sex? Because I am sorry about that, and it won’t happen again…”

Dean snorted. “Uh, yeah. I was more worried about _who_ exactly it is you’re sleeping with. For instance, somebody like your old drug dealer Ruby. Or likewise.”

“Oh,” Sam’s eyes widened and he quickly shook his head vehemently. “No, definitely not. I… Ugh. I knew this would happen, you know? But you were so busy with work and Cas and everything that I didn’t want to bother you with my love life. It’s not exactly the biggest deal, anyway. But do you remember the café we went to that first day with Cas?”

“When I dislocated his ankle?” Dean asked, nose crinkling as he tried to recall the rest of that afternoon. “How is that relevant?”

“Well, uh… Our waitress, her name was Jessica. And I didn’t tell you at the time, but I’ve actually had a few classes with her before. So the next day I went back and… I asked her out. We’ve been dating ever since,” he said, blushing slightly. Dean gaped at his brother.

“You’ve been dating this girl for three weeks and you didn’t tell me?” He yelled. Sam only blushed hard, looking down at his feet and shrugging.

“Um, yeah.”

“Well why the hell didn’t you tell me?” He yelled. Sam bit his lips, still refusing to look at Dean.

“I didn’t tell you because… Well,” Sam cleared his throat. “Jess is gay.”

“She’s… huh? Then why is she dating you?”

“Jess is an Alpha,” he whispered, and only then did it dawn on Dean what his brother was saying. Jess was an Alpha, and Sam was an Alpha too. And Jess was gay. Which, by and by, meant that Sam must be…

“Oh, Sammy,” Dean gasped, and in a moment he was leaning over the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around his little brother and squeezing his shoulders. It became evident then that Sam was trembling, and Dean stroked his fingers through his brother’s long hair, pulling him even closer. “It’s okay. You didn’t need to hide this from me. It’s okay.”

“I just wasn’t sure,” Sam croaked, and though he wasn’t quite crying, he sounded like he was very much on the verge of tears. Dean patted his back, pulling away and smiling softly at him.

“It’s fine. If you’re gay, or bi, or even trisexual… I don’t care. You’re still gonna be my brother, no matter what.”

“I’m bi,” Sam answered without even being asked, pulling away from his brother and wiping away the small amount of tears that had pooled in his dark hazel eyes. “Betas and… and Alphas. No offense, but Omegas just don’t smell very good to me.”

Dean chuckled. “None taken, man. And anyway, it’s a good thing you know what you like. Some people spend their whole lives trying to figure out their sexuality,” he paused, smiling slightly. “At least you’re not on drugs again, anyway.”

“I can’t believe that’s what you thought,” Sam snorted, shaking his head. Dean fixed him with a pointed stare and he huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes and looking away. “Okay, fine, I guess it isn’t that far-fetched. But I wouldn’t do that to you, or myself for that matter. I know what I did was wrong. It was stupid of me to get into that shit.”

“Hell yeah, it was,” Dean said, and his tone was almost bitter, but not quite. Sam shrugged awkwardly, and Dean smiled back at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. “But I forgive you, and I’m glad you came and talked to me. And if you ever need to talk to somebody, you know Charlie is in the same exact Alpha Loveboat as you are, so…”

“Oh, shut up,” Sam laughed, flipping his hair behind his ear and hopping over the back of the couch, so that he could plop down beside his brother. Dean turned to study his face for a few moments, frowning slightly.

“Did Dad know?”

Sam’s breath hitched slightly at the mention of their father, and he was silent for just about long enough for Dean to understand that, _yes_ , their father had known and _no_ , he hadn’t taken the news very well. Dean sighed and leaned a bit closer to his brother, slinging an arm over his shoulder and giving his bicep a squeeze. Sam’s body visibly relaxed at the touch of his brother, and Dean smiled softly at him.

“Knew you didn’t stop talking to him just for my sake,” he teased. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, I would’ve. I mean, what kind of a guy disowns their 23 year old son just because you didn’t settle down and have some pups right away? If I was the one who was going out and knotting Omegas all the time, I’d bet a million bucks he wouldn’t have had a problem with it.”

Dean smirked. “Yeah, well I think his problem with you was just the opposite. You weren’t knotting _enough_ Omegas.”

“Oh God,” Sam groaned, pushing his brother away even as Dean pulled him closer, basically hugging him from the side. “I should’ve known you would start making gay jokes as soon as I told you.”

“I would be remiss not to make as many gay jokes as possible from now on,” he smiled and Sam rolled his eyes. “So when do I get to meet this Jessica, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Whenever you want, I guess. She’s pretty cool, I’m sure you two would get along well.”

“Invite her to the baby shower,” Dean suggested, pulling his arm back to his side and standing up. He yawned loudly, stretching his limbs and stepping away from the couch. “Charlie is planning it for some time at the end of the month. I’m not sure when, but probably after Cas gets back from Chicago. If he wants to come, anyway.”

“I’m sure he does, I mean they are his pups after all. And he’s sort of head over heels in love with you.”

Dean snorted. “Please,” he muttered. Cas didn’t want him! Was Sam crazy? If Cas had wanted him, he would have made a move already. Sure, they had kissed the other day, but nothing had come of it. They hadn’t even brought it up to each other since; just kept on going about normal life. Dean was starting to wonder if he was actually crazy and it never had really happened in the first place.

The truth of the matter was that Castiel didn’t want a relationship with him. He was just some random Omega that Cas happened to hook up with and get pregnant. It wasn’t Cas’s fault that the suppressants had failed, and Dean was sure that he was only staying so involved now because he felt guilty about the pups. Dean sure would, if he was an Alpha. But none of Cas’s involvement in the pregnancy now meant that he had _feelings_ for Dean. That much was obvious from the way he had reacted to the suggestion of meeting Dean’s family, earlier that afternoon.

It wasn’t worth Dean’s time to deny himself that he wanted to be with Cas. He wanted it more than anything he had ever wanted in his life, and that fact undoubtedly scared him. But he had no right to want any of that from Castiel; anything like a relationship, or mating, or even intimacy was out of the question. Cas was a successful businessman who was sweet and funny and perfect, and he didn’t deserve to be saddled with someone like Dean.

Besides, Dean didn’t want Cas to think he was just some slutty gold digger or anything. So he kept his wishes to himself, and pretended to be uninterested in Castiel or mating. It wasn’t that hard, since he had been against it for so many years that complaining about mating was like second nature to him. And it was obviously working; Cas wanted nothing to do with him or his family.

Somehow that thought wasn’t very comforting at all.

Sam lifted his eyebrows at Dean. “He literally swoons when you walk into the room, Dean. I’ve never seen an Alpha more love struck than he is,” he said, pausing to watch Dean’s expression. The Omega shrugged, looking down at his feet and then at the clock on the DVR.

“It’s late, Sammy. I’m gonna get to bed,” he said, walking off. As he was walking by the couch Sam gasped loudly, but Dean didn’t turn his attention back to his brother, even as Sam began to shout.

“Oh my God! You like him too! You _love_ him!” He yelled. Dean ignored his brother, instead opting to walk to his room and slam the door shut. It had been a very long day, and Dean really needed to get some sleep.

\---

Castiel watched Dean leave the room only a matter of seconds after announcing that he was leaving. He hadn’t even given Castiel a chance to say goodbye (or, as he had been secretly planning to do, steal another kiss from the beautiful Omega). Instead he had received the cold shoulder from Dean, and the disgusting smell of the Omega’s anger still lingered in the air of Cas’s bedroom, smothering the sweeter smell of his scent that Dean always managed to leave behind when he visited Cas.

Cas groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed, sprawled out over his clothes as he hid his face in his hands. Of course this would happen. He had brought it on himself, after all, acting all weird and upset after Dean had started talking about Cas meeting his family. Dean probably thought that Cas didn’t want to meet his family. He probably thought that Cas wasn’t really committed to him.

The truth was exactly the opposite. Castiel was absolutely smitten with the Omega who was carrying his children, and while it had started out as only an instinctual thing, he was certain now that it was more than that. He and Dean had been spending a lot of time together, and the Omega was so smart, so funny, so kind, so unique that Cas was finding he couldn’t get enough of Dean and his company. He wanted to smother himself in the Omega; wanted to drown in him, and it was getting to the point where he just wanted to pin Dean down and claim him as his own once and for all.

He knew that Dean would probably be appalled, or maybe even disgusted by the idea of mating with him, though, and the thought made Castiel’s heart ache. There was nothing worse than being rejected by one’s mate, and whether or not he could help it, Castiel saw Dean as his mate. His body obviously thought so too, with the embarrassing way that it responding whenever he smelled Dean’s scent. He’d had to hide his tented erection many times from Dean, just from being around him or having platonic conversation with him.

But that was the problem. They were, by all means, one hundred percent platonic. Aside from the kiss they had shared in Dean’s car after the Omega drove him home the previous week, there was nothing going on between them. Or so it seemed to Castiel, anyway. They hadn’t even talked about what they were going to do about living arrangements and the nature of their relationship after the pups were born. (They were both stealthily avoiding the topic, too afraid of what the other might say to bring it up).

It didn’t help that Dean was so vocal about his past desires to live a ‘single life’ and not be tied down by a controlling Alpha. Castiel certainly didn’t view himself as a controlling Alpha, and he may have been socially awkward at times, but he understood when someone was trying to communicate a message to him. And the message he was getting from Dean was that the Omega did not want a mate. He did not want Castiel as his mate.

“Bro, it reeks in here,” Gabriel groaned and coughed as he entered the room, and Cas meant to quip back a sarcastic response. He really did. But instead all that came out was a loud whimper, and in the next moment Gabriel was by his side, arms wrapped around his brother and hauling him up into a sitting position and cupping his face. Cas leaned into his brother’s arms and began to shake, gasping for breath as he realized for the first time that he was crying. Gabriel growled.

“I’m going to murder that son of a bitch. What did he do?” He snarled. When Castiel only whimpered in response Gabriel shushed him, rubbing his back and holding him close. “Oh, Cas. It’s okay. I’ve got you, it’s okay.”

“I don’t… I don’t want to leave. Don’t want to leave him again.”

Gabriel frowned, leaning back and squeezing his brother’s shoulder. “You’re not leaving forever, Cas. You’ll be back in just two weeks, and Dean will still be here. He’s not going anywhere.”

“I can’t… Gabe, I can’t…”

“Hey, shh. Stop crying, okay? Everything is going to be alright, you’ve gotta believe me Cas. Did something happen with Dean?”

“I don’t… I’m not..,” he huffed, making a choked off sound in the back of his throat. “I always mess things up. I can never do anything… I can’t even… He’s my mate and I-I…,” he whimpered loudly and squeezed his eyes shut, tears rolling down his cheeks as he pressed his face into the crook of Gabriel’s neck again. The Beta let out a heavy sigh and squeezed his brother’s shoulders, unsure of what to say.

Finally, once Castiel had stopped crying and simply let his body sag against his, he spoke. “You know he loves you like hell, right?”

“No he doesn’t,” Cas mumbled, frowning to himself and pulling away from Gabriel. He sniffled and wiped his eyes, shaking his head the entire time. “He doesn’t want to be mated to anyone. He doesn’t want to be tied down by some… some possessive Alpha.”

“Well then that’s fine, because you sure as hell aren’t a possessive Alpha,” Gabriel insisted. Castiel rolled his eyes and waved his brother away.

“Look, just go have fun with Kali. Have fun with your mate. I don’t want to ruin your dinner stinking up the place with my misery.”

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh. “Do you want me to call Dean? I’m sure he’d be happy to come back here and talk with you.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Castiel asked, and he said it with such apathy in his voice that to a stranger, they may have just believed that there really was nothing for Castiel to talk about with Dean. But Gabriel knew better than that, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Cas did too. But Gabriel knew when his brother was being stubborn, and he knew when not to pick a fight. So instead of scolding Cas for being an idiot, he simply stood up, kissed his forehead, and promised him that he would bring back something good to eat from the restaurant. And then he left.  
Castiel did not sleep easy that night. All that he could think about- all that he could dream about- was Dean. His perfect, sweet, pregnant Dean, and how he had once again messed everything up with his lack of communication. He should have explained to Dean why he’s gotten so upset when Dean started talking about his family; not because he didn’t want to meet them, but because he was reminded of just how messed up his own family was. Because surely Dean thought that his standoffishness had been a reflection of his (lack of) desire to meet the Omega’s aunt and uncle.

He awoke with a start around one o’clock in the morning, rousing himself from his bed with much effort and hobbled off to the bathroom. He decided to take a shower, since his dreams had left him drenched in cool sweat. He stripped quickly and stepped under the warm spray of the showerhead, frowning to himself as he reached for the shampoo and began to wash himself.

Perhaps he and Dean needed to sit down and talk. Actually, they most definitely needed to sit down and talk, because there was no way Cas would allow for them to keep dancing around each other like this. He needed to know what Dean wanted, and what he expected from him, and vice versa. He was sick and tired of waiting, as horrible as it sounded, and he needed the closure of knowing whether or not he and Dean would ever really be together.

After he had toweled off and redressed from his shower, Cas made his way to the kitchen. Sitting in the fridge was a doggy bag with an entire steak entrée in it, complete with mashed potatoes and an assortment of pan-seared vegetables. Cas heated the food up and began to eat, leaning against the counter and allowing himself some time to think about what he was going to say to Dean to broach the ever-eluded topic of _their relationship_.

There was no doubt in Castiel’s mind that Dean would be stubborn when it came to discussing their relationship. It seemed like Dean was just vehemently opposed to letting Castiel get too close to him. And while at first Cas had thought that his aversion to dating and mating had been because of him, and he had taken personal offense to it, now that he thought about it he wasn’t so sure off that. Because Castiel was smart, and he didn’t take Gabriel’s words from earlier lightly, nor did he not notice the way that Dean talked and acted around him. Because while the Omega was closed off and impersonal at times (especially when anything relatively related to mating came up in conversation) he sure did act like he was a mated Omega when he was around Cas. Even at times when he would rant about mating and relationships, he would use past-tense verbs, as if his hatred for mating was somehow a thing of the past. When he would talk about mating he would always use phrases like ‘tied down’ or ‘trapped’ as well, and always in reference to how he didn’t want for Castiel to go through that.

So the more that Castiel thought about it, the more he began to believe that Dean’s deference to mating with Castiel had nothing to do with him not wanting to be with the Alpha, and more with him not wanting to trap the Alpha. And if Castiel was right about this, well, he definitely needed to set Dean’s thinking straight before it was too late.

When he went back to his room after that, Cas was able to sleep soundly. He was thankful for this, anyway, because within four hours he would have to get up again and get on a plane to Chicago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I'm back, I'm back, I'm back! I'm so so sorry to everyone who had to wait so long for this chapter, but I do hope that it's lengthiness makes up for some of the fact that I've been gone for almost six weeks. This chapter measures about twenty-seven pages on microsoft word, so hopefully you all enjoyed it! It took me nearly a month to write... Since Ao3 suspended me I had a lot of time to look it over too, so I'm actually very proud of this chapter.
> 
> Please make sure that you **COMMENT** and leave kudos!!! It's been more than a month, and I've missed you guys probably just as much as you've missed me. So please comment and LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!! A lot of angst in this chapter...


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [I'm Burning For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTvbXMRMnHo) by Blue Öyster Cult

“You look so healthy!” Hannah’s voice was a comfort to Castiel as she wrapped her arms around her brother, squeezing him close and scenting his neck. “Oh, and you smell so healthy too, Cas. You smell happy,” she pulled back and Cas grinned at her, still holding her around her shoulders. Her smile didn’t waver as she reached out to fix his hair and push the loose strands from his eyes. “I missed you.”

Cas laughed, nodding in agreement. “I missed you too, Hannah. I missed the city smog, too,” he commented, looking around the bustling airport and letting his nose crinkle up in disgust. Hannah laughed loudly, slinging her arm over Cas’s shoulder and walking with him towards the baggage check. “How’ve you been? How’s Inias?”

“We’ve been good. Inias is… he’s moody, but then he’s always been a bit snarky,” her lips turned up into a small, fond smile. “He’s at his mother’s house right now. He’s been having back pain lately and apparently she has a home remedy that he simply  _needs_  to know.”

“Do you know the gender yet?” He asked. Hannah shook her head.

“We decided to wait… We wanted it to be a surprise,” she paused, her eyes lighting up as she nudged Castiel’s shoulder. “But how about you, then? Three little girls! You’re going to have your hands full,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Cas snorted and shook his head back and forth, stepping away from his older sister so that he could go and find his bags. Hannah followed close behind him as he spoke.

“Uh… Yeah. I guess,” he chuckled uneasily, his mind wandering to thoughts of Dean. He’d tried his best throughout the flight not to think about the Omega, and though he had to say that he’d failed miserably at that task, he’d at least kept his thoughts to a civil level. Meaning that he hadn’t thought about the ‘fight’ he and Dean had gotten into just before Cas left, and likewise the panic attack that Castiel had suffered the night before his departure. Because there really was no doubting that that  _had_  been a panic attack, and shameful as it was for Castiel, it was enough of an indicator that even he knew he needed to talk to Dean about their relationship.

“Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Inias is making French Onion Soup, and I was going to put some steaks on the grill, or burgers. We’ve missed you terribly,” Hannah was rambling in his ear as they made their way through the terminal. Castiel collected his bags a moment later, turning to smile at his sister.

“I’d love to. I just need to go home first and unpack… Take a shower in my own apartment,” he said with a chuckle, already reveling in the idea of spending some time in his own home. It had been…  _God_ , had it really been more than four months since Castiel had set foot in his own apartment? He shivered to think about the layer of dust that must be coating every surface of his home, and he knew that a major part of his weekend- aside from preparing to go back in to work on Monday- would be cleaning his apartment.

“Great. Inias will be glad… Oh God, Cas, wait until you see how big he’s gotten,” Hannah said, and Cas could have sworn that there was something like pride shining in her eyes as she spoke. Cas’s lips twitched into a small smile and he took a step towards his big sister, nudging her shoulder with his own as they walked through the main entrance of the airport and out into the February sun. It was windy, but the early afternoon sun was warm on Castiel’s face, and he smiled as he tilted his chin up, nose crinkling as he inhaled the brisk spring air.

“Ah, I love the smell of city smog in the morning,” he announced, earning several odd glances from passersby. Hannah started to laugh where she stood beside him, and Castiel gave her a puzzled look as she pried one of the heavy lags from Castiel’s luggage-laden arms and hooked her own arm around his elbow.

“Come on, Cas. Before the  _city smog_  can pollute your precious prissy nostrils any more than it already has,” she teased. Castiel pouted, still confused.

“What? I was being nostalgic. You know that I’ve always had an affinity for the smell of gasoline and carbon dioxide slowly suffocating the citizens of the Earth.” He quipped, lips twitching slightly. When he’d made the comment back in front of the airport entrance, he’d been serious, but now he was just messing with his sister. Evidentially, she couldn’t tell.

“Dude, I can’t even tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” Hannah retorted, eyebrows furrowed. “You’ve been away for way too long. Do you know if you’re going to move to Lawrence for good?” She asked, looking up at Cas with a slight frown on her face. He frowned right back at her, then quickly looked away. They seemed to reach her car just in time, and as Castiel began packing his bags into the trunk of her BMW he let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

“I don’t yet, Han. You know more than anybody how much I love it here in Chicago, but with the pups on their way soon…,” he shoved his last bag into place, turning back to face his sister and leaning against the open trunk. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I want to stay in Lawrence. I know that I can’t stay with Gabriel forever, so maybe…,” he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do. And I haven’t exactly gotten the chance to talk to Dean about it yet, but…”

“Hold up. You haven’t even talked to your Omega about this yet?”

Castiel quickly raised his finger to interrupt. “He’s not my Omega-”

“Shut up,” Hannah snapped, batting Cas’s hand back to his side and pointing at him. “If you haven’t even talked to this guy about your living arrangement and the fact that you live, like,  _500 miles_  away from each other, then what the hell  _have_  you talked about?”

“We… Uh…,” Castiel found himself scratching the back of his neck again, chewing at his bottom lip. What did he and Dean even talk about? They talked about their lives a lot, their pasts and their jobs and their families… They talked about the pups, of course, but never about the specifics of what they were going to do when said pups arrived. For Christ’s sake, they weren’t prepared for these pups at all! Castiel didn’t even know if Dean had a nursery set up in his apartment yet, let alone how either of them was going to be as parents. “Fuck,” he cursed under his breath, dragging his hand over his face and trying to pretend that he wasn’t having an internal panic attack at the mere thought of being a parent. Because for all the months that Dean had been pregnant and Cas had known that he was pregnant, it never really had occurred to him that he was actually going to be a father.  _Actually_  going to be responsible for living human beings -  _three_  living and breathing human beings, to be exact- and he was freaking out.

“Hey, calm down,” Hannah said quickly, reaching out and grabbing Cas’s hands, grounding him. He let out a shaky breath and nodded, wide blue eyes staring down at Hannah as he tried to fight the urge to vomit. He swallowed thickly, shaking his head back and forth.

“Han, I’m not ready for this,” he admitted, his stomach turning as his chest began to tighten. He squeezed his eyes shut, breath coming in shaky gasps as he felt Hannah’s fingers tighten around his own. “I’m not ready for this at all,” he said. Hannah made a sympathetic sound in the back of her throat, and then her arms were thrown around Castiel’s body. And for the second time in less than twenty-four hours Cas found himself being dragged back from the brink of insanity by one of his siblings, his heavy, shaking body going limp in the other Alpha’s arms as she held him and comforted him.

“It’s going to be okay, Cassie. You just need to talk to Dean. You need to sit down and plan things out with him, and work out a situation that works for both of you. It’s all going to be fine, don’t worry.”

“But he doesn’t want me,” Castiel whispered, his hands tightening around the fabric of Hannah’s blouse as he spoke into her shoulder. “And I… How can I ever… How can I be a good father to my pups if I’m not  _there_ , with them? How will they know that I love them if Dean doesn’t even want me to… to…” He trailed off, unable to articulate his thoughts any further. Hannah frowned, drawing back and cupping her brother’s face in her hands. She brushed his tears away, giving him a stern yet affectionate look.

“Cas, you are not our father.” She said. And with that single sentence Castiel seemed to break, and he buried his face back into her shoulder, body shaking as he cried. His fingers curled into fists around the fabric of Hannah’s shirt and she quickly wrapped her arms back around her little brother, petting his hair back away from his face and shushing him as he cried. “Is that what you were worried about? That you would let your pups down like dad let us down? Because I can tell you right now, Cas, you aren’t ever going to do what dad did to us. You have too much heart for that.”

“I don’t want them to hate me,” Castiel mumbled into the crook of Hannah’s neck. She sighed, rubbing her hand up and down over Cas’s back.

“You don’t want the pups to hate you, or for Dean to hate you?” She asked. When Castiel frowned at her and did not answer, she drew back again, taking Cas’s hands into her own. “Cas, when I asked Inias if he would mate with me, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was so scared that he would say no… He was always so strong and independent, and so proud of that independence, and I didn’t want him to think that by mating with me I would be taking that away from him. And I was so close to just giving up and chickening out,” she paused, biting her lips thoughtfully. “Well, then he found the ring anyway in my underwear drawer, and that was the end of the story. He said yes,” she smiled. Castiel couldn’t help but smile back at her, and Hannah gave his fingers a squeeze. “But think about it… If Inias hadn’t found the ring and come to me with it, I never would have asked him to mate with me. And I don’t know what I would have done then. So what I’m saying… Don’t wait for Dean to find the ring, Cas. You go and give it to him.”

Castiel’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “But Hannah, I don’t have a… Oh.  _Oh_ , the ring is metaphorical. I see,” he ducked his head, lips quirking up into a small, amused smile. When he looked back up at his sister he nodded, smile unwavering. “You’re right. I will… Talk to Dean about our relationship. And our plans for the pups. You’re right.”

“I know I am,” Hannah said, wiggling her eyebrows at her little brother. He rolled his eyes and Hannah laughed, drawing him in for another short hug, patting his back. “Now, come on,” she said, pulling away and reaching up so that she could close the trunk. Castiel moved out of the way just in time for her to slam the lid shut. “You have like a million bags to pack, and Inias is probably wondering where the hell we are by now.”

“Just text him and tell him that we’re having a good cry-session in the airport parking lot,” Castiel joked. Hannah snorted.

“God, no. He’ll come running down here and join us,” she said, walking around to the driver’s side door and opening it up. Castiel followed on the other side, piling into the passenger seat. Hannah smirked over at him. “The pregnancy hormones make him a little loopy,” she said, moving her finger in circles next to her ear. Castiel laughed, grinning.

“I can’t wait for dinner tonight, then. We’ll have to bring up some of your ex-boyfriends…”Castiel began to tease. Hannah groaned, and Cas laughed. “Should I start off the dinner talking about Metatron, or Gadreel…?”

“Shut up,” Hannah laughed, reaching out and hitting her brother’s shoulder as she started to peel out of the parking space. “You’re uninvited.”

“No! I was looking forward to eating your steak and gossiping about you with your hormonal mate,” Castiel quipped. Hannah pursed her lips.

“You know, I think you’ve been hanging out with Gabriel too much. His churlishness is rubbing off on you.”

Castiel smirked. “I don’t think so, sister. I’ve been churlish all along. Just too depressed before, I think, to readily voice my sarcastic remarks.” He paused, smiling over at her. “And if you think that Gabriel’s sarcasm is mean, you obviously haven’t met his mate.”

“Kali?” Hannah’s nose crinkled and she snorted, shaking her head in disgust. “I hate that bitch. Her name is banned from being spoken for the rest of your visit, do you hear me?”

“Hey, she’s the reason that Dean and I finally found each other again,” Castiel protested with a whine, but was quickly silenced with the death-glare that his sister sent his way. He chuckled. “Jeez, and I thought the stereotypes about in-laws hating each other were exaggerated.”

“Dude, the first day she met me she call me ugly! Literally, the first words out of her mouth when she met me were, ‘Are you sure you’re really related to Gabriel? Your features are a little plain and unflattering for you to be his sister’. And then she turned around and walked away!”

“What?” Castiel gawked. “She did not say that to you!” Castiel argued. But then Hannah turned and leveled him with a  _look_ , and he bit his lips. “Okay, that does sound like something she would say. But once you get past all the nastiness and the dry sarcasm and the mean comments, she…,” Castiel frowned to himself. Actually, when it came down to it, there really wasn’t anything nice about Kali at all. Sure, she was caring, but that fact was really outweighed by how absolutely harsh and unforgiving she could be. Castiel was pulled away from his thoughts by a laugh to his left, and he could see Hannah smirking slightly.

“She what? You can’t even think of one good thing to say about her.”

Castiel frowned, his mouth hanging about for a minute before he wiggled his finger at his sister. “Oh no, no, no. I am not falling for this. I’m not going to let you rope me into your girl drama with Kali and become some sort of… I don’t even know,” Cas huffed, turning away and looking out the window. “I’ve got enough of my own drama to deal with, thank you very much.”

Hannah hummed quietly to herself, driving in silence for a few minutes before she cleared her throat again.

“Have you picked out names yet, for the pups?” She asked. Castiel let out a hollow laugh.

“Names? We haven’t even talked about bibs, Han. Names is like next level shit,” he paused, frowning to himself. “But I’ve been… thinking. And I know Dean must be, too, because he did mention something about naming one of them after his mom. Which I thought was nice.”

“Oh God, please don’t tell me you’re thinking of naming one of them after  _our_  mom?” Hannah asked rather melodramatically. Castiel fixed her with a hard look, shaking his head solemnly.

"Never in a thousand years would I name my child after that woman,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m still pissed off that I have to see her this week. She’s pretty much forcing me to come over to her house for dinner on Thursday.”

“Then make up some story about a conference or meeting at work. If there’s one thing Mom cares about more than making your life miserable, its work.”

“I can’t do that. Do you know how far up her ass Zachariah is? Or maybe it’s even the other way around; that she’s up his ass. Either way, it’s like one of them thinks something or the other one says it a minute later. I swear, I think they’re secretly mated.”

“Ew, gross! You’re talking about that old bald guy you work with, right?” Hannah’s nose crinkled up in disgust. “He’s seriously creepy. Anytime Inias and I are over at Mom’s house when he’s there, he always looks at Inias in this way that just makes me… Ugh,” she shivered, scowling. “I don’t like him.”

“Nobody does. He’s a chauvinistic asshole with a stick up his ass. And you’re right about not liking him; whatever way he looks at Inias I’m sure is the same way that he looks at my Omega secretary, Samandriel. Like he wants to put every Omega he meets on their knees and show them their rightful place in society,” Castiel’s nose crinkled up in disgust, and the pungent odor of anger and distress filled the cabin of the car. “God, I hope he hasn’t given Samandriel a hard time these past few months. That kid is the best secretary I’ve ever had.”

“I’m sure everything at the company is fine, Cas.”

“Hmm,” Castiel sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. “I guess I’ll find out soon enough. Either way, I’m sure that Balthazar has been looking out for him. If he hasn’t tried to get down his pants already,” he mumbled under his breath. Hannah flashed him a small smile, reaching out to turn the radio on. They didn’t talk much for the rest of the ride, aside from the occasional short anecdote or question. And when they finally pulled into the parking lot of Castiel’s building, he was so relieved to see his apartment complex again that he hardly even waited for Hannah to park the car before he was hopping out and running back to the trunk.

“Slow down, Cas,” Hannah laughed, grabbing two of her brother’s six suitcases (Yeah, he may have over-packed just a little bit) and following after him as he made a beeline for the front doors of the complex. She was out of breath but laughing when she finally reached him. “Jeez, you sure have become a lot more active since the last time I saw you.”

“The last time I saw you I was nearly delirious with sickness,” Castiel commented dryly. Hannah shrugged, following her brother to the elevator. He hit the button for the eleventh floor.

“No, it’s not even that. Even before you got sick… I’ve never seen you this happy before. Not for a long time,” she said. And her unspoken words, _not_ _since Anna died_  hung heavy on Cas’s mind as the elevator sped up to the eleventh floor. Hannah made a face like she was ready to be sick, and Castiel set one of his bags down so that he could reach out and hold her wrist. She’d always been sickened, even scared by elevators, so this wasn’t really anything new. She flashed him an uneasy smile to thank him, and he smiled back, thanking her in turn for all she had done for him these past few months.

When they arrived at his door, Castiel nearly had a mini-anxiety attack because he couldn’t find his key. But then Hannah produced her spare, handing it off to him to use as a replacement until he found the original. He was sure that it was somewhere at his mother’s house though, or maybe even that Naomi had it, and he wasn’t going to touch that issue with a nine foot pole. So he thanked Hannah and promised her that he would get her a new copy, then dragged his bags into the living room and plopped down onto his familiar and (as predicted) dusty couch, moaning softly as he closed his eyes.

“Oh my God…,” he groaned, rolling over and pressing his nose into the cool, soft leather. “It still smells like my rut in here,” he mumbled. Hannah made a gagging sound somewhere behind him and he smiled, rolling over so that he could wiggle his eyebrows at her. Her nose crinkled and she shook her head.

“You’re such a pig,” she laughed. Castiel grinned.

“Oh, shut up. I’m the cleanest Alpha you’re ever gonna meet,” he said, standing up and making his way to the kitchen. When he opened the fridge he was met by the stench of rotten food- like  _really_  rotten, and he suppressed the urge to gag as he dug months’ old fruits, eggs, and meat out from his fridge. “Speaking of cleanliness, do you want some expired milk?” He called, literally forcing himself to swallow the bile that rose in his throat when he got a whiff of the chunky, expired milk in his hand.

“Um, no thanks. You didn’t empty out your fridge before you left here?” Hannah called, popping her head into the kitchen and frowning when she saw that Cas had half of his body stuck in the fridge, a terrible odor coming from the ice box. Castiel’s head popped up over the side door and he scowled at her.

“I was a little preoccupied with not trying to kill myself, you know,” he snapped. Hannah’s jaw immediately snapped shut and she looked away from her brother.

“Yeah… I, uh… I forgot that you were in that spot there. Sorry bro.” She said. Castiel frowned, suddenly feeling bad. He closed the door to the fridge, which was now empty of all the rotten food, shaking his head.

“Don’t be sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

Hannah nodded, looking away again after a moment. “I’m gonna head home, okay? Inias is expecting me, and I have to get started on dinner… Which you’re coming to, right?”

“Sure. What time?” Castiel asked, leaning against the kitchen counter. He mentally began to make a checklist of all the things that he had to do, with showering at the top. Hannah smiled slightly, shrugging.

“Does seven o’clock sound alright with you? I’ll pick up some wine on my way home and we can make a night out of it.”

Castiel chuckled, lips quirking upwards. “Sounds like a plan,” he nodded. Hannah smiled back at him and then turned, picking up her purse on her way out of the kitchen. A few moments later Cas heard the front door click shut, and he made his way into the living room where all of his packed luggage still sat. He let out a heavy sigh and breezed past the discarded bags, into his bedroom and then into his bathroom.

He took his time in the shower. It was only two o’clock in the afternoon according to his phone, and he still had about five hours to do with as he pleased before he would be heading over to Hannah’s house. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he should be using that time to unpack, but even as the water beat down on him in the shower he knew that he needed to do something else first. Something much more important.

When he finally climbed out of the shower and toweled off, he threw on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. Then he grabbed his computer, connecting to the building’s wifi and typing into his search engine, ‘house sales near Lawrence, Kansas’. The search term yielded numerous results, and Castiel found himself bookmarking page after page of information; houses that he could imagine himself living in and raising his family in.

But Castiel knew that all of his searching was for naught if he didn’t talk to Dean. And searching for real estate listings out in Kansas was also Castiel’s way of avoiding talking to Dean about what was going on between them, in one way or another. Because while Hannah had been right in what she’d said earlier, it didn’t stop Cas from being afraid that Dean would reject him. It didn’t stop him from wanting to skip to the end and live happily ever after, and ignore all the bumps in the road that he would have to take to get there.

He didn’t even realize what he was doing until he’d already clicked the ‘Call’ button on his Skype webcam, but then he guessed that that was probably for the best. And besides, it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon- two in Lawrence — on a Saturday; he was probably busy right now. What were the chances that he was going to pick the call up anyway?

“Hey, Cas,” Dean’s voice filtered through the speakers of Cas’s computer first, and the Alpha couldn’t help but smile. A blurry image of Dean’s face popped up on the screen, and a moment later the image cleared up, so that Cas could see that he was sitting in his living room, munching on corn chips as Sam did what Cas could only presume was homework at the kitchen table in the background.

“Hey, Dean. I was just calling to check in. I just got home,” he said. Dean smiled a little, digging around somewhere off-screen for a few seconds before he held up a pair of earbuds. He plugged them into the side of the computer, then fastened them into his ears.

“How was your flight? I was worried about you,” he said, frowning and rubbing his hand back and forth over his belly. “Flying is… not one of my favorite things to think about,” he chuckled. Castiel smiled slightly.

“The flight was fine. I slept most of the way, since it was so early in the morning, and I hardly got any sleep the night before,” there was a pregnant pause in Cas’s speech, and then his clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, running his hands through his hair. “Which, uh… I actually wanted to talk to you about what I said yesterday when you-”

His sentence was cut off by Dean’s excited, albeit nervous voice. “Hey, Cas, you want to see something I picked up today?” He asked, and without even pausing to hear Cas’s answer he was up, earbuds falling to the couch as he eased himself out of his seat and disappeared from the view of the camera. Cas let out a heavy sigh and frowned, resting his chin in his hand and staring at the camera. He had a full view of Sam from here, and after a few moments of Cas sitting there in silence the other Alpha seemed to notice that Dean had gotten up and left his webcam on. He flashed a smile in Cas’s direction and waved, and Cas waved back, acknowledging the young Alpha and smiling politely at him. But he was much too distracted with thoughts of Dean and what he wanted to say to make pleasantries, even over Skype, and he was pretty sure that his attempt at a smile came out as more of a grimace.

It felt like an eternity before Dean returned, and Castiel spent the entire time mulling over what he was going to say to him in his head. Statements like  _Will you move in with me_  and  _I think we should get an apartment together_  seemed all too cliché, and a proclamation like  _I love you_  or  _I want to mate with you_  would be too straightforward, even for Castiel’s style. So by the time that Dean returned to sit in front of the webcam, holding up several tiny onesies with cute little phrases and sparkling tiaras bedazzled onto them, Castiel was at a loss for words.

“Dude, are you constipated or something?” Dean teased, his smile genuine but also a tad nervous. Cas forced himself to smile back, blinking several times and focusing on the clothing in Dean’s hands. His forced smile quickly became a bright grin, and he leaned closer to the camera, trying to get a better look at the pieces in the Omega’s hands.

“That’s probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” Castiel admitted, eyes bright with happiness as Dean began to show him all of the rest of the clothes he’d bought for the babies. Along with the bright pink and purple onesies, he’d also bought several pairs of racecar booties ( _“Because they’re just so fucking cool, Cas! I mean look, this one even has a mustang on it.”_ ), as well as an array of white, pink and yellow caps ( _“I guess they’re kind of baldish, when they first come out, so I figured we’d need something to keep their heads warm”_ ). By the time that Dean was done showing Cas all the clothes he’d bought, nearly half an hour had passed, and Castiel’s mood had brightened considerably.

Cas chuckled, “So what is it that warranted this massive shopping spree of yours, anyway?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Charlie dragged me to Babies R Us to make a registry for the shower. I guess that I kind of went nuts when I saw all the baby clothes,” he admitted, a blush staining his cheeks. Cas could hear Sam laughing in the background, and his lips twitched a little when Dean raised his hand and flipped his brother off without even missing a beat.

"Yes… You’ll have to send me the link to that registry, by the way. My sister wants to get something for the babies, so I can bring it back once I’m done with my business here.”

“Mm,” Dean nodded, a thoughtful look in his eye. A large part of Cas didn’t even want to know what he was thinking of, so instead he cleared his throat, adjusting his webcam slightly before speaking.

“So I was thinking about a nursery,” Cas started, chewing on his bottom lip. Dean’s face went blank, his expression unreadable, and Cas continued. “I’ve done some research, and I-I know a woodworker who would be more than happy to make us some cribs. Or one large custom crib, if you wanted the babies to all sleep together, but I’ve read that it’s better to give them their own spaces.”

Dean frowned, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, Cas, I’m not exactly sure if our apartment has the room for a whole nursery,” Dean said uneasily. He glanced back at Sam, then continued. “I mean, between Sasquatch over there and my pregnant self, there’s barely even enough room for us to live. I was thinking I’d just keep the pups in my room or something.”

"I was just looking at some bigger apartments, Dean,” Sam’s voice floated over Dean’s head and into the speakers of the computer. “But a lot of it is out of our price range, or barely bigger than what we have already.”

“Come live with me,” The words tumbled out of Cas’s mouth, and the Alpha almost winced at how indelicately he’d delivered the statement. After hours and hours of deliberating  _how_  he was going to broach the subject, now the suggestion simply popped right out in the middle of-

 _What?”_  Dean gaped at the screen, and Cas could hear Sam asking what was going from the kitchen table, only to be shushed by his older brother. Dean’s green eyes were wide as he gawked at Cas through the webcam. “Like… In Chicago?”

“No, no, of course not. I don’t want you to move. I just…,” Cas let out a heavy sigh, nervously running his fingers back and forth through his hair and giving himself what looked like the most severe case of bedhead he’d ever seen. “I wanted to move to Kansas. Maybe not to Lawrence exactly, but close by. And I have more than enough money so that I could support the both of us, if you chose to move in with me,” Cas paused, gulping audibly. “Not… Not  _move in with me_ , just move in with me. And we could raise our pups in a house, with a nursery and a backyard and stuff,” he frowned, not sure if what he was saying even made any sense. Judging by the frown Dean was wearing on his face, Cas was pretty sure he wasn’t explaining himself very well.

“Cas, I can provide for myself just fine; I don’t need you to support me. And Sammy just got a job at the café where I broke your ankle, and I’ve been saving money up for a while now.”

Cas almost let out an audible groan. “That’s not what I meant, Dean. Of course you can support yourself. I was just saying that maybe it would be a good decision for us to live together in Kansas, especially with the pups so close to being here.”

Dean huffed, looking away from Cas for a few moments, hands tucked under his armpits and crossed over his belly. “How is that going to work, anyway? I mean, you obviously have work in Chicago that’s really important. Are you just going to fly back and forth all the time? Or will you just…,” Dean trailed off, obviously at a loss for words. An almost fearful look crossed his face, and Cas wondered if Dean was actually scared that Cas would abandon him and the pups. He licked his lips, thinking of his words for a moment before he spoke.

“I… There’s a branch out in Topeka that I can transfer to. It will be a bit complicated, since our headquarters has always been here in Chicago, but I can make it work.”

“I…,” Dean started, his mouth hanging open dumbly. Cas could see Sam’s head bobbing somewhere behind Dean, and then he asked what was wrong. Dean quickly shook his head, answering Sam’s question with a wave of the hand before he spoke slowly. “Are you sure about that, Cas? I mean, you have family in Chicago.”

“I have family in Lawrence, too. Chiefly, I have you,” he paused, a knot starting to form in his throat. When he saw the way that Dean was looking at him he cleared his throat, nails digging into the palms of his hands. “I mean the pups, of course. I have the pups, which are in you. And I put them in you. They’re currently in your stomach, living off of nutrients fed to them by an umbilical cord which is connected to your body through your belly button… And… And I am rambling now and I’m going to stop.” He ducked his head, his cheeks flaming red as he stared down at his lap.

“Okay man, calm down. You look like you’re about to have a heart attack over this,” Dean frowned, giving him a sideways look. It felt like he was trying to look into his brain, and though the Alpha had nothing to hide, he still didn’t like it. “But, uh… what you’re describing is… it’s a big step, Cas, and we’re not even mated.”

“Then we can get mated, if that’s an issue,” Cas said. This statement seemed to anger Dean, and he bristled, jaw clenching. Cas bit the inside of his cheek, wishing for what was not the first time in this conversation that he could sew his mouth shut.

“Dude, you can’t just say that like it’s no big deal!” Dean protested. Cas frowned, unmoving and silent as Dean fumed on the other end of the Skype call, arms flailing wildly in front of the camera as he spoke. “You can’t… Ugh, this is what I meant by making rash decisions because of the pregnancy. You just suggested that we get  _mated_  as if you were like… Inviting me out to lunch or something.”

This time, Cas did groan out loud. He hid his face in his hands, shaking his head back and forth and refusing to look up at Dean. “I don’t even know what you want me to say right now,” he said. Dean let out a heavy sigh, and Cas looked up at him again, a tired expression on his face. “I just want to do what’s best for our pups, and that is to have a stable home with both of their parents taking care of them and loving them. I don’t know why it has to be so complicated.”

Dean let out a loud huff, his jaw clenched. “So what you’re saying is that if I don’t move in with you, then I must not love my pups or something..?”

“No! God, Dean, no! I don’t know why you always think I’m trying to…to trick or manipulate you. From the first day we met I’ve been nothing but honest with you,” he pleaded, eyebrows scrunched up. “If you’re letting your previous experiences with Alphas cloud your judgement of me, I assure you that-”

“Don’t bring Benny into this, Cas, He has nothing to do with you.” Dean grumbled, effectively silencing the Alpha. Castiel’s jaw snapped shut and he frowned.

“Well then could you tell me what the problem is, Dean? Tell me why you are so averse to the idea of living with me, or mating with me! You had sex with me nine months ago, so I know that it’s not my physical appearance. Is it my social skills? Do I annoy you? Or are you just scared of being with an Alpha in an established, committed, relationship?” He snapped. Dean growled aloud in response.

“Fuck you, Cas. You don’t know jack shit about me, and you want me to make this… this commitment to you, move in with you,  _mate_  with you. You don’t even know me and you’re acting like some lovesick pup. Maybe it’s your false mating, or the pregnancy hormones,  _pheromones_ , whatever… Either way, you’re just running into this thing head on, at fucking Mach 10, letting your instincts get the better of you. And I’m looking out for you and for the pups when I say that we shouldn’t mate with each other over this accidental pregnancy. So the answer to your question, Cas, is that we shouldn’t move in with each other. I’d love to, but we can’t, so just fucking drop it!” He screamed.

“It’s not just instinct Dean, I’ve had four months to get to know- fuck,” Cas groaned when the screen went blank, signaling that Dean had hung up. He let out a long, loud groan, slamming his laptop shut and pounding his fist against the bedspread. Dammit,  _dammit_ \- he’d tried to talk to Dean and he’d only made things worse. He’d made things  _horrible_. He cursed under his breath again, standing up and pounding his fist against the dresser.

Dammit.

\---

“Mr. Milton!” Samandriel’s bright smile was the first thing he saw when he opened the door to his office on Monday, and he gasped as the Omega threw his arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. Cas grunted, hands sticking out awkwardly as his assistant continued to hug him, patting his back over and over again and repeating the words  _Good to have you back, great to have you back Mr. Milton_  over and over until finally he released the Alpha, a soft blush staining his cheeks.

“Sorry, sir. It’s just been so long since I saw you, and things here have been pretty…,” a dark look crossed over Samandriel’s face, but then it was gone a moment later and he was smiling up at Cas again. “Well anyway, it’s great to have you back. I have some emails for you to go through, and you have a conference call with Mr. Fergus Crowley of HellHound Inc. at nine. I’ve gone ahead and put some files on your desk that you need to sign, as well. Zachariah sent a memo; he’ll be coming down to ‘check on things’ around one,” he said, rolling his eyes with a flourish. Cas’s lips twitched at Samandriel’s blatant attitude, something that he’d never seen in his assistant before. He seemed to realize his transgression immediately and ducked his head, blushing slightly. “Sorry sir, he’s just been a real pain in my behind these past few months. But, uh…,” he looked away, glancing over at his desk and picking up a few papers. He handed them off to Cas, his smile returning tentatively when Cas took them without complaint. “Here are the files you need to review before your call. A copy of their lawyer’s statement is also attached, as well as their claim that we stole from them. Ms. Meg Masters will be coming up around 8:30 to brief you on what’s going to happen, and she will also stay for the duration of the conference call, as the company’s representation.”

Cas nodded his head, trying not to feel overwhelmed by Samandriel’s bubbliness. He’d always found that his assistant was a bit eccentric, but then again that had also always been what made him so good at his job. He smiled at the Omega nodding.

“Thank you, Sam. I think I’m going to have a migraine by the end of the day,” he chuckled. Samandriel frowned back at him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I got you your coffee,” he offered, turning to pick up a large cup from the side of his desk. Castiel smiled as he took it from the Omega, sipping the drink tentatively. A large caramel latte with espresso and extra foam, just the way he liked it. He smiled, humming softly in the back of his throat and letting his eyes flutter closed.

“God, I didn’t realize how much I missed you,” he chuckled, grinning down at his assistant. The Omega blushed, ducking his head and scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s nice to have you back, Mr. Milton. I’m glad that you seem to be feeling better.”

Cas chuckled. “Yes, well…,” he trailed off, smile wavering as thoughts of Dean entered his mind. Beautiful, beloved Dean, who was probably still fuming at him after their argument the other day. It had been two full days and he hadn’t heard a word from the Omega; no matter how many text messages and voicemails he left, Dean never replied. He sighed softly, fingers clenching tightly around his coffee cup.

“I heard a rumor that you’re only going to be back for two weeks,” Samandriel’s voice interrupted his stream of thoughts, and he could tell by the look on the Omega’s face that his sudden change of scent from happy to distressed was making the Omega uneasy. He nodded, taking a long sip of his coffee before responding.

“Yes, it’s true. I need to go back to Kansas soon. I’m only here to settle this lawsuit business and work some things out with the Board.”

“Are you… Are you leaving, Mr. Milton?” Samandriel asked, nervous/. Castiel frowned.

“Leaving the company? No, Sam. Listen, don’t worry about me. Just do your job; you’ve always done it well. I will take care of my business, okay?”

“Is it because… I heard you’re expecting some pups. Back in Kansas,” Samandriel said, his voice quiet. Castiel turned back to look at the boy curiously, tilting his head to the side and frowning. He leaned forward, and Samandriel almost looked like he wanted to move away, but he didn’t.

“Where did you hear such a thing?” He asked. Samandriel shrugged, looking down at his hands and picking at his fingernails, a sheepish look on his face.

“Zachariah comes into your office sometimes to use the phone, and uh… I guess he doesn’t realize that I’m listening. You know how he is; he thinks that Omegas are more like animals than people. They’re to be seen and not heard, and I guess he doesn’t realize that I can hear everything he says.”

Castiel frowned. “And who does he talk to?”

Samandriel shrugged. “I don’t know, sir. I felt bad enough listening to him talk about you, I wasn’t about to go snooping and see who he was talking to. I figured he might be speaking with you, the first few times, but then…,” Samandriel frowned, turning and walking back to his desk. He picked up the phone, hitting several buttons on the dial and staring at the Caller ID screen. “The number he normally calls is right here … Does 312-755-2090 ring any bells?”

Castiel scowled. That was his mother’s phone number. He opened his mouth to respond to the Omega, but then there was a knock on the door and a short, chubby blonde Beta came into the room. She smiled salaciously at Castiel, biting her lips as she reached out to shake his hand. He extended his hand back to her, offering her a polite smile as she scented the air.

“Ooh, an Alpha. My favorite. My name is Meg Masters, attorney at law. How about you and I head into your office so we can talk about what’s going on between you and Mr. Crowley,” she drawled. Castiel’s breath hitched, and he hesitated for a split second before nodding, opening the door to his main office and gesturing for Meg to continue inside in front of him. Then he flashed Samandriel a nervous smile, closing the door behind him and going to sit behind his desk.

“Pardon me if I’m a bit… unfamiliar with the situation at hand. I’ve been on-”

“Sick leave hanging out with your Omega Baby-Maker, I know. Congratulations on the triplets, by the way,” Meg smiled smugly at him, then chuckled to herself when he gave her a bewildered look. “The head of your Board of Trustees sure does like to chat a lot over the phone. I could barely figure out what the legal problem was, he complained about you so much.”

Castiel’s nose crinkled up. “So I’ve heard,” he said dryly, then looked down at the papers Samandriel had handed him earlier, which he was still holding. “So, I take it that this is all some sort of misunderstanding? Because I can assure you that integrity is something that we value deeply here at Angel Entertainment, and there is no way that we infringed on… Jeez, I don’t even know the name of this company that’s suing us,” he paused, flipping through the papers. “ _HellHound Inc_? I’ve never even heard of them. There is no way we copied anything remotely related to their brand.”

“Exactly. The president over there, Crowley, pulls this crap all the time. This is just another corporate stunt of his to try and create bad publicity for some of his more successful competitors,” Meg rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. As soon as he finds out that I’m representing you, he’ll turn tail and run the other way. He and I have history,” she smirked. Castiel frowned.

“I feel like I shouldn’t even ask,” he said dryly. Meg snorted out a laugh.

“Not like  _that_. We used to work together, until he screwed me out of my stake of his company. I went back to school after that and got my law degree, and I’ve been making his life a living hell ever since,” she paused, frowning. “Sometimes I wonder if he enjoys the attention, actually. But then, he can’t possibly be enjoying it that much if it costs him a shit-ton of money every time he sees me.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t seem very professional.”

“Who needs professionalism when you’re dealing with dick-wads like Crowley?” Meg asked, swinging her legs up and resting them on top of Cas’s desk. His frown only deepened, and Meg smirked. “Listen to me, Mr. Milton. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. You’ve got to take what you want when you have the chance, and never look back. Looking back is what gets you shot,” she said, licking her lips. “Trust me.”

“Um…,” Castiel cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. “Okay. This is getting weird.”

“What? I’m just saying- if you want to be professional with Crowley, he will walk all over you. He doesn’t care that his claim for suit has no real standing; he’s willing to spend tons of money in bullshit litigation fees just so that he can drag you to court and make your company look bad in the eyes of the media. And as your lawyer, I cannot in good moral conscience let that happen.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at the Beta. “So what do you want me to do, then?”

“Here,” she dug into her purse, handing him a piece of paper with some notes scribbled onto it and flashing him a smile. “Introduce yourself, make pleasantries, whatever you have to do. Then as soon as he starts with his stupidity, I’ll jump in. We’ll be settled out of court in no time, and aside from my legal fees, I’ll make sure this doesn’t cost you a dime. Maybe I can even get him to pay  _you_  for the trouble… Who knows?” She quipped, shooting him a wink. Castiel chuckled and nodded, smiling back at her for the first time.

“Alright, Miss Masters. I’m trusting you on this.”

Meg smirked. “You should never trust me,” she drawled. Castiel frowned, opening his mouth to respond when the phone began to ring. He let out a heavy sigh, reaching out and picking up the receiver. He set it on the desk and pressed the speaker button, casting a sideways glance in Meg’s direction before speaking.

“Castiel Milton, CEO of Angel Entertainment speaking. Good morning.”

A grainy British accent crackled through the speakers. “Good morning, Castiel.”

\---

Dean lay on Charlie’s bed, a large bowl of popcorn resting on his overgrown stomach as Charlie pranced back and forth in front of him, holding up outfit after outfit to her slim body. He shook his head as she came to stand in front of him, holding up to her body a yellow blouse and black miniskirt.

“You look like a bumblebee,” He explained, and Charlie sighed in resignation, tossing the outfit to the side to join the growing pile of rejected outfits. She went back into her closet and began to rifle around, searching to find a suitable outfit for her date with the barista from Starbucks. It wasn’t their first date; it was their fifth, in fact, and Charlie was almost certain that they were going to be taking the  _next step_  in their relationship that night.

“How does that even work, anyway?” Dean pondered aloud. When Charlie popped her head back into the room, a curious look on her face, he explained. “Two Alphas… having sex. I mean, I find it overwhelming when there’s just one knot involved- but two? You’re crazy, Charlie,” he said. She rolled her eyes and ducked back into the closet.

“I don’t know, man, it just works that way. It’s probably easier, since I’m a female, but I guess we just…,” she paused, frowning. “I don’t know. It’s _sex_ , that’s all. You’ve been with other Omegas before, you know how it is.”

“I know, I know,” Dean said, reaching out and cramming a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Once he’d chewed and swallowed it he bit his lips, watching as Charlie paraded another outfit in front of him. This one was a red, springy dress that almost went down to Charlie’s knees, with thick straps over the shoulders. Dean hummed softly. “Now  _this_  outfit, I like. Do you have a cardigan you can wear with it? It’s cold out.”

Charlie laughed, rolling her eyes again. “Sure,  _Mom_.”

“Shut up,” Dean grinned, rubbing the side of his belly. “I can’t believe it’s less than a month before I get to meet these pups,” he paused, lips twitching a bit. “I can’t wait.”

Charlie smiled at him fondly, then turned and faced away from him as she began to strip and change into the dress. “Yeah, just five more days until your baby shower… Is Cas coming?”

Dean frowned, staring down at his stomach. It had been more than a week since he’d spoken to Cas, despite the Alpha’s attempts to reach out to him. He knew that he was being petty, but Dean just wasn’t ready to face Castiel again after their Skype conversation. Because it was embarrassing, the way he’d reacted to Cas’s offer. Sam had told him as much after he’d hung up with Cas, and while Dean didn’t want to admit it at the time, he knew that his brother was right.

Cas was just trying to do what he thought was the right thing. He was trying to take on the role of a good father, and while Dean was grateful for that, he was also scared. Scared that Cas would realize- maybe in a week, or a month, or even in a few years- that he was only staying with Dean and the pups out of obligation. And by that time, anything could have happened. They could be mated by then, and then what? Cas would be stuck there, with Dean, living a life that he hated.

It was undeniable that Dean wanted it. He wanted to be with Cas; to be held in the Alpha’s arms and claimed by him. He loved Cas; he had loved him for weeks now. The Alpha was amazing and sweet, and quirky and smart and… And now Dean was crying. He sniffled loudly, wiping his eyes and trying to cover it up with a cough. When he looked up Charlie was staring at him from halfway across the room, a concerned frown on her face.

“Hey, you okay there big guy?” She asked, slowly walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached out and took Dean’s hand into her own, and Dean squeezed her fingers, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Charlie. Cas… He asked me to move in with him.”

Charlie’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, brown boring into green as her lips curved up into a wide smile. “Oh my God,  _really_?” She exclaimed. But when Dean didn’t smile back at her, her grin quickly disappeared and was replaced by a concerned frown once again. “What happened, Dean?” She asked softly. Dean shrugged.

“I didn’t… I told him no,” he whispered, looking down at the covers of Charlie’s bed. He sniffled. “He’s only offering because he feels like he has to. He feels an obligation to me, because of the pups, and I… I don’t want his charity. I don’t want him to feel like he  _has to_  be with me just because he knocked me up,” he said, his fingers tracing feather-light over his own belly. He refused to look up at Charlie, but he could tell through his peripheral vision that she was gaping at him.

“Dean,” she whispered, voice soft and quiet. He shrugged, still refusing to look up at her.

“It’s the truth, Charlie. Nobody… Nobody in their right mind would ever want to be with  _me_ ,” he said, nose crinkling slightly as he picked at a loose thread on the bed sheets. “My dad disowned me because I was such a fuckup, and Sam only stays because he’s got nowhere else to go,” his Adam’s apple bobbed ominously in his throat, and the pitch of his voice went up, making it obvious that he was holding back tears. “Benny was only with me because he wanted a surrogate for his ex-mate, and you know I’ve never… I can barely keep my job at this point, let alone a relationship,” he whimpered. Charlie made a soft noise beside him, and then her arms were wrapping around him, holding him close.

“Oh, Dean,” she breathed. Dean sniffled again, wiping the tear streaks from his cheeks and shaking his head back and forth.

“Even these pups. Part of me just wants to… To put them up for adoption, so they don’t have to deal with having me as a father,” he whimpered, palm pressing against his stomach. “I mean… They don’t  _deserve_  me. They don’t deserve the crappy life that I’m going to give them. For God’s sakes, I wanted to have an abortion!” He cried out, and then the floodgates really broke, and he began to sob. “I should j-just give custody of them to Cas. H-he can give them a g-good life. He can… I can’t… I just deserve to be alone,” he sobbed. “I deserve to be alone.”

“You’ve been alone for long enough,” Charlie said softly, cradling his head to her chest and carding her fingers through his hair. He continued to cry and she shushed him, rocking him back and forth and pressing her lips to his temple.

“What kind of father wants to abort their own pups?” He whined pitifully, still shaking. Charlie sighed softly against the top of his head.

“A scared one,” she said, frowning down at him. “Dean, you were scared and alone, and it was a natural reaction to have. But you didn’t have an abortion, and that’s what matters. And now you’re not alone anymore. You never really were to begin with; you’ve always had Sam and me,” she paused when Dean made a soft noise of protest, then continued on, ignoring him. “But now you have Cas, and he wants to be with you and take care of you. And you love him, I know you do.”

“But he only wants me because of the pups,” he sniffled. Charlie tilted her head to the side, frowning at her best friend as he pressed his face against her shoulder, still crying a little bit.

“Did he say that? Or are you just projecting again?” Dean pouted a bit in response, looking away from Charlie and keeping his mouth shut. She snorted. “Exactly. You need to talk to him, Dean! When does he get home?”

“Tomorrow,” Dean mumbled against her neck, pulling back and wiping his eyes. “But what if he-”

“Then I’ll kick his ass. But I won’t hesitate to kick yours, either, if you throw all of this away because you’re scared,” she paused for a moment before adding, “and don’t try to pretend that you aren’t scared. I can tell that you are, and while it’s okay to be scared, it’s not okay to let your fear control you.”

Dean swallowed thickly. “I’ve been… I’m used to being alone,” Dean whispered, his voice hoarse and tired from crying. And it was true- Dean was so used to being alone. For what seemed like his entire life, he hadn’t had a real, meaningful relationship with anybody. Sure, Charlie was his friend, and Sam was his brother, but it wasn’t the same. Benny had been the first person in years that Dean had actually felt a connection with, and he’d turned out to be using Dean just for his pregnancy. They’d both been using each other, really, and it had ended horribly. So Dean was used to being alone, and though he’d never describe himself as  _lonely_ , he had grown accustomed to loneliness over the years. It was what he was comfortable with. “What if I mess things up?”

“Then you’ll mess things up,” Charlie said, shrugging. “Cas, these pups, your  _family_ … They aren’t going to leave you just because you make a mistake.  _We_  aren’t going to leave you. Especially these pups are going to love you no matter what, and you’re going to be a good father. You and Cas just need to talk to each other and end all of this… this drama that’s been keeping you apart. You need to tell him everything you just told me; all your insecurities and your fears. You need to tell him that you love him, Dean! You need to go and make things right with him and  _be_  with him- be happy- before you lose your chance. Just… try not to cry on him as much as you cried on me,” she said, easing away from Dean and scowling as she tried to wipe his snot and tears off of her dress.

“Sorry,” Dean mumbled, a hollow laugh escaping his throat. Charlie shot him a pointed look, standing up and walking back to her closer.

“Now I have to find a new outfit for my date. Go fuck yourself, Dean Winchester.”

Dean laughed again, this time with a bit more mirth to it, and flashed Charlie a small smile. “You’re going to have to come over here and make me, Bradbury.”

\---

Dean stood nervously at the airport terminal in Topeka, hands resting on his round belly as he waited for the doors at the arrival gate to slide open. An old Omega woman stood next to him, smiling over at him every few seconds, eyeing his huge belly. He smiled politely back at her, and she perked up.

“Are you waiting for your mate?” She asked, and before Dean could respond to the question she continued speaking. “I remember when I was pregnant with my pups… I hated being away from my mate. Oh, Henry was so sweet. He used to dote on me constantly… And it only got worse when I was pregnant,” she chuckled, smiling brightly. Dean smiled back at her, nodding.

“That’s nice,” he said softly. She beamed.

“I know. He was such a kind man… Every year on Valentine’s Day, he would make me breakfast in bed. He was just the same with our children… They’re all grown up now. I’m waiting for my daughter now, actually,” she paused, looking down at Dean’s belly. “How many are you carrying, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Triplets,” Dean smiled, rubbing his belly. The woman’s face lit up, and Dean chuckled. “All girls, too,” he said. The woman clapped her hands together.

“Oh, that’s amazing! I remember my twins… A boy and a girl. And I got so big when I was carrying them..,” she smiled, blushing slightly and extended her hands to indicate that she had been very fat. “Henry loved it though. He always said that I was most beautiful when I was pregnant.”

Dean laughed, smiling a little as his mind began to wander. “Yeah…. Cas always says that I’m glowing,” his lips quirked up a bit the more he thought of it. “He gets this dazed look in his eyes and just… presses his ear to my stomach and listens for their heartbeats,” he snorted. “I keep telling him it’s just digestion, but he doesn’t believe me.”

The woman grinned. “Oh, how sweet!” She exclaimed. The arrival gate opened a moment later, and the woman was rushing off to wrap her arms around a young woman carrying several large bags. She waved at Dean.

“Good luck with your mate, sweetie!” She called. Dean nodded to her, scratching the back of his neck as he looked around for Cas. A minute later he spotted him; Castiel wore a tired expression on his gaunt face, a frown plastered on his face as he looked around the terminal with narrowed eyes. When he seemed to recognize nobody among the throngs of people in the airport, he let out a heavy sigh, his whole body moving with the effort as a resigned expression crossed his face. He yawned as he dug his phone out of his back pocket, rubbing at the bags under his dull blue eyes and began to tap away at the screen of his phone. That was when Dean decided that he should go to him; enough of his chicken-shit bull crap. Charlie was right… He shouldn’t be scared. He was just going to go over there and talk to Cas about what he wanted.

Castiel didn’t recognize that Dean was approaching him until the Omega was only a few feet away. He nearly dropped his phone in surprise when he noticed the Omega standing a few feet in front of him, and his wide blue eyes roved up and down Dean’s pregnant body before coming to rest on his face.

He let out a soft breath that he hadn’t even known he was holding, breathing, “Dean,” quietly. The Omega stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around him. He took several large gulps of air, inhaling Dean’s sweet scent and pressing his nose against his neck. His hands made fists in the fabric of Dean’s coat and he pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together and relishing in the warmth that Dean was sharing with him. “I missed you.”

“I thought you were gonna faint again,” Dean chuckled, drawing back from the Alpha and cupping his face delicately. He offered the Alpha a small smile, pushing his greasy hair back away from his face. “Like last time.”

Castiel barked out a laugh, wrapping his arms around Dean again and drawing him back into a tight hug, clutching almost desperately at the back of his jacket. The rough fabric scratched against his skin, grounding him, and after what seemed like an eternity of scenting Dean’s neck and Dean carding his fingers through Cas’s hair he finally pulled back again, hands travelling to rest gently against Dean’s huge belly.

“I thought that,” he swallowed, his eyes shining with insecurity, “you were angry with me.”

Dean sighed, nodding his head almost out of habit. “Yeah, I thought so too. But, uh… I think I was just angry with myself. Or maybe just angry in general,” he frowned to himself, looking down at the floor sheepishly. “We need to talk, Cas.”

The Alpha nodded eagerly in agreement. “Yes, we do. I was going to come to your apartment later and suggest the same, but you obviously beat me to the punch,” his lips twitched a little as he turned his head to peer at Dean. “I guess that great minds think alike.”

“Yet fools rarely differ,” Dean mumbled, mostly to himself, still not looking up at Cas. Finally he tilted his chin up and met the Alpha’s gaze, taking his hands into his own and giving his fingers a squeeze. “Go get your bags, and I’ll get us a table at that little café over there,” he suggested, gesturing towards the right side of the terminal, where there was a small pastry shop settled easily between a gift shop and the ticket desk. “I’m sure that you’re starving.”

“Not really. I haven’t had much of an appetite for the past few days,” Castiel shrugged, releasing Dean’s hands and turning away, walking off towards the baggage check. Dean frowned to himself, thinking over what Cas had said for a moment before he decided to let it go. He waddled over to the café and got a double booth, ordering coffee for himself as well as Castiel. He knew that soon he would need to start laying off on the coffee; Dr. McKeon had told him just a week before that in the last month of his pregnancy he wouldn’t be able to drink any caffeine (as if giving up alcohol hadn’t been bad enough). By the time that Cas made it back to the café and found Dean, the coffee had already arrived and was cooling in its cup in front of Cas’s seat. His face lit up whence saw the coffee sitting there, and he thanked Dean as he plopped down, picking the cup up and drinking enthusiastically.

“Cas, the other day…,” Dean started, but Cas interrupted him, setting his cup down and wiping his mouth off on the back of his sleeve.

“Dean,” he spoke. “I met a young woman on my business trip named Meg. She was amazing; a very interesting person. A Beta, actually,” he said, lips curling into a small smile as he thought about her. The breath was immediately sucked out of Dean’s lungs as Cas began to ramble about the woman; about how he’s met her in a business meeting and they’d gotten lunch after, and how they talked and talked, and how he’d been inspired by her. He found himself staring at the forming coffee stain on the back of Cas’s sleeve, his eyes glazing over as his imagination began to run wild. Who was this Meg girl anyway? Was she pretty?  _Probably_ , he thought resignedly. She was probably beautiful.

“Dean, are you listening?” Cas asked, tapping the table and smiling softly at him. “Meg and I became rather close over the past two weeks or so, and she gave me-”

“You slept with her,” Dean blurted out, his shining green eyes coming to rest on Cas’s face. The Alpha’s brow furrowed and he gave Dean a perplexed look, frowning and shaking his head. For the first time in the conversation he seemed to take in the expression on Dean’s face; the pale face and red-rimmed eyes, the way he sagged against the booth and looked at Cas with the most heartbroken expression the Alpha thought he’d ever seen. “It’s okay, Cas. You don’t… You aren’t beholden to me. You’re a bachelor, it’s… it’s only-”

“Stop it, stop it,” Cas said quickly reaching out and taking Dean’s hand. The Omega flinched away, but allowed Cas to ease his fingers into his hand as the Alpha continued to speak. “I didn’t sleep with her, Dean. And this is actually… it’s exactly what I wanted to talk about. In talking to Meg, she gave me some advice about how to deal with a competitor that was suing us. She said that in life, we should take what we want and never look back. And Dean… Fuck, I’m so tired of looking back and  _not_  taking what I wanted. Ever since my sister,” he paused, realizing that he’d never told Dean about Anna before. He took a deep breath before starting his sentence over again. “Ever since my sister died- and that was more than ten years ago- it’s like I’ve been living my life in slow motion. I’m twenty-eight years old and I haven’t lived at all,” he scoffed at himself, shaking his head minutely.

“I’m sick of watching my life go by and not doing anything with myself. I’m sick of letting go of the things that I want and the things that I love. And, Goddammit, I want you Dean! I want to be with you, and I want it so bad, I can hardly concentrate on anything else. I haven’t been able to eat or sleep in a week thinking about this, and it’s not just instincts. If it were just instincts, simply being around you would be enough to soothe my Alpha. But I’m not suffering from a false mating anymore, and all I want is to kiss you and hold you and dote on you  _endlessly_. That’s not instinct. I want you to be mine and I want to be yours, and I want the whole world to know. And I know that our starting circumstances are anything but orthodox, but I don’t care… I just want you, Dean, no terms and conditions applied. Just you, me, the pups… Together,” he paused, letting go of Dean’s fingers and wringing his hands under the table. “You… you don’t need to feel the same way. I don’t want to force you into anything, but I just wanted you to know that this is what I want.”

Dean’s mouth was hanging open. It took him a few moments to realize that he was staring- no,  _gaping_ \- and he quickly snapped his mouth shut. It took a few seconds to fully process everything that Cas had said; his entire heart that he had just put on his sleeve and dumped on Dean. So he knew that his response had to be meaningful. He had to let Cas know everything that he was feeling; that he felt the same way, and he had to do it soon, because Cas was starting to look like he was going to throw up all over the table at any moment.

“I… I had sex with a rodeo clown once,” he blurted out, immediately slapping his hand over his face as his cheeks turned crimson. Castiel gawked at him for a moment, and then a moment later he was doubled over in laughter, all of the stress disappearing from his face as his nose crinkled up and he began to cackle. Dean huffed and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as Cas desperately tried to calm himself.

“Stop laughing,” Dean grumbled, swinging his feet and kicking Cas under the table. This only seemed to spur his laughter on, and Dean glared at Cas halfheartedly before he finally cracked a smile. “Okay, fine, it’s funny. Ha ha, laugh it up. I’m  _sure_  that everyone you’ve ever had sex with was 100% kosher.”

“No…,” Castiel wheezed, tears in his eyes as he clutched his stomach. “But I never did…,” he gasped, still laughing, rocking back and forth. “With a… a rodeo clown!” He snorted, breaking into giggles and hiding his face behind his hands.

Dean continued to grumble until Castiel finally settled down, and then he sighed heavily, smiling at Dean. “I’m sorry, Dean. It was just so funny. But…”

“But it wasn’t what we were talking about,” Dean offered quickly, and he leaned forward, taking Castiel’s hand into his own. Cas’s eyes widened hopefully and Dean smiled, squeezing his fingers.

“I want to be with you too, Cas. But I don’t want to get into a relationship with you if it’s just because you feel an obligation to me because of the pups,” he paused, biting his lips. “When I met you at the Roadhouse all those months ago, I never expected to see you again, and until I found out that I was pregnant I had no reason to. And now that I’ve gotten to know you better, I know how sweet and kind and  _selfless_  you are. And I’m only trying to protect you from a life of misery when I say that I think you’re only offering to live with me and  _be_  with me out of selfless obligation.”

“You’re wrong,” Cas said quickly, squeezing Dean’s fingers and leaning closer over the table. “No life with you could ever be a life of misery,” he whispered, swallowing thickly. “And you think that I’m doing this selflessly; trying to get you to date me out of selflessness, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I am doing this out of selfishness. I want you to be  _mine_  Dean, because you’re brilliant and beautiful and funny and you aren’t afraid to tell people off when they need it and I…,” he took a deep breath, and a moment later he surged forward, pressing his lips hot and hard against Dean’s. The Omega keened and let out a low whine, leaning forward as far as his belly would allow and grabbing onto the sides of Cas’s face, tangling his fingers into his hair and dragging the Alpha closer by his hair.

“You need a shower,” he murmured against his lips. Castiel’s lips curled up into a small smile, breathe hitching as he leaned forward to slot his and Dean’s lips together once again.

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! 32 fucking pages of angst and tears and motherfucking _emotions_ , baby. And my goal of posting by Monday is now complete! I hope you enjoy the drama! Please leave comments! 
> 
> Feedback, feedback, feedback! Even if you're shy I want to hear from you and I love you! Thank you to everyone who has been sticking along for this clsuterfuk of a journey through Dean and Cas's Mating Adventure™. I think there's only a few chapters left...


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: [Pour Some Sugar On Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaG8faaFUMM) by Def Leppard

Marathon sex. Nine months’ worth of it, to be exact, crammed into the span of 48 sweaty, delectable hours that Cas was sure he would never forget if he had been sentient for more than half of the time.

His and Dean’s make out session in their corner booth of the small airport café had been cut short by the ringing of Dean’s phone. It had taken a lot of willpower on both of their parts for them to even break apart, but eventually Cas finally forced himself to pull away from the Omega and told him to answer his phone. With a disparaged whine that sent a shiver down Cas’s spine, Dean finally leaned back in his seat and dug around in his pocket for his phone. He all but growled into the receiver as he picked up, and he had a short conversation with whoever was on the other end (the impression that Cas got was that it was Charlie, considering that they were talking about the baby shower) that ended with Dean yelling at Charlie that he had to go because he was  _busy_.

In the short time that it took for Dean to finish his phone call, the smell of Cas’s arousal became so prominent inside of the booth and around it that some other patrons began to turn and give him and Dean odd looks. He could feel his skin prickling and tingling, and when Dean reached out to take his hand again and ask if he was okay, the sensations only grew worse. His breath hitched, eyes clouding with Alpha red; Dean flared his nostrils and looked the Alpha up and down.

“Cas, are you due for your rut?”

“In two weeks,” he answered, and it came out in a gasp as another shiver wracked his body. His skin began to burn, warmth pooling in his belly as his cock twitched to attention in his pants. He frowned. “Feels like … it’s coming on early.”

“Come on,” Dean urged, sliding out of the booth and placing a hand on his own back to support himself as he stood, still holding onto Cas’s hand. The Alpha followed Dean eagerly, grabbing the Omega’s jacket from the booth and helping him into it. He not-so-subtly began to scent the back of Dean’s neck, until Dean turned around and pecked his lips, urging Cas to follow him out of the café.

“Where are we going?” He asked. Dean smiled back at him, squeezing his hand.

“I was thinking we would go back to my place. I’ll take care of you there,” he said, thumb stroking over the back of Cas’s hand. The Alpha swallowed thickly, cock plumping up in his jeans at the thought of Dean  _taking care_  of him, laid out beneath him, presenting his slick ass as Cas pounded into him. He trembled, squeezing Dean’s hand tightly and forcing himself to level Dean with a stern look.

“Dean, we don’t need to-”

“But I  _want_  to,” Dean insisted, surging forward and pressing his lips to Cas’s. They were still standing outside of the café, but that didn’t stop them when Cas tangled his fingers into Dean’s hair and pulled, eliciting a pitiful whine from the Omega. His hands traveled all over Dean’s body, from his back to his belly, coming to rest on the swell of Dean’s pregnant stomach. He let out a possessive growl, only pulling away from the kiss when Dean shoved at his chest. He gasped for air, looking up at the smiling Omega with blood red eyes. “Come on, sweetheart. We need to get to a bed, so you and I can do this right. So you can claim me  _properly_ ,” he breathed. Cas snarled possessively.

“I’ll claim you right here, in front of everybody,” he growled, pulling Dean close so that their bodies were flush, and the hot length of Cas’s erection was pressing against Dean’s belly through his jeans. Dean whimpered and tilted his neck back, as if considering the option for a moment, before he tapped Cas’s arm again and pulled away for real this time.

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll call us an Uber,” he said. Cas grumbled petulantly as Dean led him away from the café, both of them dragging his bags behind them. It was more than obvious to everyone walking by that Cas was straining to keep in control; going into rut with his pregnant Omega while in public, let alone a  _crowded airport_  was just about the last thing that any Alpha ever wanted. Other Alphas eyes him sympathetically as he walked by, while Betas and Omegas cast nervous glances in his direction.

When they finally made it out of the airport and into the bright Kansas afternoon sun, it was a relief. As the Omega tapped away at his phone, summoning an Uber, Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s back and began to mouth at the back of his neck.  _This is where I’ll bite him_ , he thought, his rut-clouded brain happy at the thought of finally making Dean his. His teeth grazed Dean’s skin and the Omega’s breath hitched; Cas smiled and rested his chin on Dean’s shoulder, kissing his ear.

“You look so pretty, pregnant with my pups. You’re fucking glowing,” he growled. Dean blushed and Castiel grinned, canines visible and eyes shining bright red as he went back to sucking hickeys into the sensitive skin of Dean’s neck.

“You know…,” Dean started, gasping and swatted at Cas’s head when he felt the Alpha nip at his neck. “When I had my heat flash, the doctor told me that unexpected-  _ah_ , baby, stop it,” he gasped, shivering a bit himself when Cas’s arms tightened around his waist. “The doctor said that unexpected heats and ruts were a sign of true mates.”

“Hmm,” Cas purred, nosing at the line of Dean’s neck. “Same thing goes for false matings,” he responded. Dean’s breath hitched and he felt his heart beat pick up in his chest. He swallowed, a tremor running through him when he felt Cas nip especially close to his pulse point. He could feel Cas’s erection pressing up against his ass, even more noticeable now than it had been before. He whined low in the back of his throat, earning some glares from a few Betas who were walking by. A moment later his phone vibrated in his hand, signaling the arrival of their Uber.

“Cas, our Uber is here,” he said. The Alpha huffed, narrowing his eyes at Dean and glaring at him halfheartedly as the Omega stepped away, leading him towards the car that was idling in front of the terminal, waiting for them. He pouted childishly as Dean let go of his hand, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“But I want to have sex, Dean,” he complained. Dean chuckled, lips twitching as he tried to hide his smile.

“We will, Little Alpha. Don’t worry… We just have to get home first. Don’t you want to be in a bed when you knot me?” He asked, then opened up the back door of the Uber car, hoisting himself inside. Castiel bit his lips.

“A bed sounds… nice,” he agreed, eyes flashing bright red again as he eyed Dean’s heavy pregnant body up and down. Then he climbed in after him, and Dean leaned forward, checking with the driver to make sure that she- the Alpha woman- knew where they were going and apologized for Cas’s rut. The woman seemed only mildly annoyed that her car now smelled like an Alpha in rut, and she at least offered Dean a polite smile as he leaned back into his seat and buckled up. Once he was fastened into his seat he reached over, taking Cas’s hand in his. The Alpha squeezed his fingers roughly, swallowing thickly as he began to speak in a hushed, almost nervous tone.

“I haven’t been with someone during a rut since…,” he trailed off, frowning to himself as he wracked his brain. Oh God… the last time he’d been with someone during his rut he must have been 18 years old. He’d been dating an Omega named Daphne Allen for a few months when his rut had triggered her heat. Since the two of them were hanging out at the time, they’d wound up having sex in the backseat of her father’s car. Luckily she had been on the pill, which kept her from getting pregnant but it didn’t keep her father from finding out about their extracurricular activities and forcing her to end things with Castiel that next week. “I haven’t slept with anyone during a rut since high school.”

Dean stroked his thumb over the back of Cas’s hand in a soothing motion, shifting in his seat so that he could grace Cas with his soothing, reassuring smile. “I’m sure it will be fine, Cas. And anyway, I can always tie you to the headboard if you get too rough,” he said with a sultry smile and an inconspicuous wink. Castiel growled under his breath, and a fresh wave of his aroused scent filled the car. The driver coughed and Cas blushed, digging his nails into the palm of Dean’s hand as a sort of retribution for getting him all worked up.

“Ow! Cas, that hurt,” he whined. Cas smirked and leaned over, kissing Dean softly on the lips as the car rolled along.

“Oh baby, don’t worry. You’ll be hurting for a whole different reason tomorrow if you keep up with your teasing,” he murmured. Dean turned red, ducking his head and grumbling that he ‘wasn’t teasing’. Cas laughed, keeping his hand on Dean’s cheek and carding his fingers absentmindedly through the Omega’s hair. “You’re so pretty.”

“Shut up, Cas, or I’ll have to kick you in the shin again,” he grumbled. Cas’s lips quirked into a small smile, his whole body thrumming when Dean reached out and tangled their fingers together again. They rode in silence for the rest of the fifteen minute drive, making small talk and whispering sweet things to each other until the driver finally pulled over in front of Dean’s apartment building.

“Okay, lovebirds, your destination awaits,” she said, all politeness gone from her voice and now replaced by bitter annoyance; Dean didn’t blame the driver for being annoyed considering how much the car smelled like Castiel’s rut. He thanked her again, hopping out of the car and waiting for Cas to come along. Then they rushed into the building, clambering into the elevator together. Cas took the empty elevator as an opportunity to press himself close to Dean, backing the Omega up against the wall so that the only thing keeping their bodies apart was Dean’s huge belly. Then he kissed him ferociously, teeth clashing and tongues rolling together. It was like two rivers colliding, rushing into each other and then breaking off into their own separate streams, only to reunite again and crash together in a waterfall of passion and sweat and- Oh God, the elevator door was opening.

“Holy crap, get a room” Dean’s downstairs neighbor Krissy gasped as she stepped into the elevator, obviously exasperated by the fact that she was walking in on Dean and Cas’s make out and groping session. Dean quickly broke away from the Alpha, who turned to growl in Krissy’s direction. Dean batted Cas on the chest to stop him, but it was obviously that Cas was entering the more primal stage of his rut, just another indicator that Dean really needed to get them back to his apartment-fast. He managed to keep Cas’s hands off of him as the elevator took them up to the seventh floor, and he rushed out a quick apology to Krissy (who rolled her eyes back at him and shouted something unintelligible back at him) as he dragged Cas down the hall.

“Mine,” Castiel growled as he pressed close to Dean, nearly slamming him against the wall as the Omega dug in his pockets for his keys. Dean smiled a little, reaching out to grip Cas’s bicep as the Alpha began to kiss and nip at his already bruised neck again.

“Yes, I’m yours. Don’t worry,” he promised, giggling when Cas’s stubble tickled his chin. Cas snarled, shoving Dean through the open door as soon as he managed to unlock it. He pushed Dean up against the wall as soon as they made it inside, kissing him greedily and shoving his tongue into his mouth, claiming him. Dean moaned and scrambled to wrap his arms around Cas’s neck, gasping harshly when he simply ripped Dean’s pants off of his waist and sunk to his knees, a hand resting on Dean’s belly as he nipped and kissed his way over Dean’s stomach and towards his groin.

“Fuck, Cas-  _be careful_ \- ow, oh… Oh my God,” he moaned loudly when suddenly his boxers were gone and Cas was taking his entire cock into his mouth, sucking him to the root without a moment’s hesitation. Castiel took a large inhale of Dean’s scent as his nose rested against the Omega’s curls of pubic hair, and then he began to bob up and down, swirling his tongue around the head and hollowing out his cheeks. Dean wasn’t sure where on earth Cas could have learned to suck dick like this, but whoever had taught him… Dean wanted to send them a basket full of muffins, because they had done a  _good_  job. Dean moaned long and loud, tipping his head back and bucking his hips a little as slick began to leak from between his ass cheeks.

“Dean, is that- OH HELL NO! HELL FUCKING NO! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH-”

“Shut up and go stay with Kevin,” Dean groaned just as Cas pulled off his cock, turning to growl at Sam as saliva ran down his face. Dean huffed, throwing the keys to the Impala towards Sam, who was shielding his eyes with his forearm. They hit his stomach and fell to the floor, and Sam ran out of the apartment a moment later, cursing under his breath the whole time. Cas didn’t even stop to blink before he was sucking Dean down again, though this time not as deep, and Dean cursed as he tangled his fingers into the Alpha’s thick, messy black hair.

“Oh, Cas,” he moaned, whining softly as the Alpha flicked his tongue back and forth over the slit of Dean’s cock. He was pretty big for an Omega; his dick reached almost seven inches when hard, which was a lot considering that most Omegas only ever reached four or five inches. “Please, do that  _again_ …”

“Hmm,” Cas moaned around Dean’s cock, and the vibrations sent a shiver through Dean’s spine that made him sure his knees would give out. He whined and threw his head back against the wall, ignoring the dull  _thunk_  of his head hitting hardwood in favor of moaning loudly and cursing under his breath, hands clutching at his big belly as Cas bobbed up and down enthusiastically, his whole body moving with the action. Dean could see him fumbling to get his own fly open, and a moment later his heavy, swollen Alpha cock was in his hand. Dean gasped, cock pulsing in Cas’s mouth as precum oozed from the tip at the thought that Cas might be getting off to this.

“You like that, sweetheart? You like sucking my dick? I know you do… I know you love having my Omega cock in your mouth, filling you up, my pregnant belly right in front of you, full of  _your_  pups…,” he trailed off on a moan when Cas hollowed out his cheeks again, and then he felt a finger probing at his seeping ass and he was done. He cried out, a sharp, surprised noise as he came in thick ropes down Cas’s throat.

To Dean’s surprise, Cas swallowed every last drop and smacked his lips together when he pulled away, grinning up at Dean as he stood. Dean reached out and grabbed ahold of Cas’s collar, dragging him close for a heated kiss. He could taste his own orgasm on Cas’s lips and he groaned, feeling his now soft cock trying to twitch back to life. He could feel Cas’s swollen cock poking against his stomach though, and he knew that his Alpha needed to be taken care of ASAP.

“Come on, Little Alpha,” he breathed as he pulled away from him, leading Cas down the hall. He waddled towards his bedroom, Cas fast on his heels the whole time. Dean was surprised that he didn’t just throw him onto the bed, but instead wrapped his arms around the Omega and laid him down gently. He kissed and sucked at Dean’s jaw, his chin, his neck, and then down to his shoulders and chest. Dean’s breath hitched and he let out a surprised gasp when Cas wrapped his lips around his pebbled nipple. He tangled his hands into Cas’s hair and yanked, and the Alpha looked up at him with blazing red eyes, his mouth hanging open as he panted against Dean’s skin. The Omega blushed, biting his lips and releasing Cas’s hair.

“Sorry, baby. They’re just a bit sensitive,” he said sheepishly. Cas’s lips quirked up into a small smile and he chuckled, leaning down to flick his tongue over the rosy bud.

“I wonder when your milk will start to come in,” he pondered aloud, and Dean felt himself blush. He huffed, wiggling his hips precariously and carding his fingers lazily through Cas’s hair. He threw his head back against his pillows, sighing happily as Cas continued to lavish both of his nipples with the attention of his lips, his teeth, his fingers. “I can’t wait to watch you feeding my children, Dean. Sucking at your tits, and you’ll be all pretty and blushing…,” he trailed off, humming softly to himself as he nipped at Dean’s chest a little more roughly than he had before. “And then once the pups have had their fill, you can be sure that I’ll take my turn…”

“C-Cas!” Dean whined, and then he felt a tingling sensation in his chest, and a moment later Cas was gasping as warm liquid flooded his mouth. It was clear but sweet, and he groaned, cock pulsing against Dean’s stomach as he reached up to touch Dean’s chest reverently. The Omega mewled, whining.

“Sensitive, Cas…,” he complained, but the Alpha didn’t stop, and he dove back in for more of Dean’s milk, which was now starting to leak down his chest in shiny streaks. Dean whined pitifully and tugged at Cas’s hair, even as his cock began to plump up again and throb against his stomach. One good thing about being pregnant was that the hormones had definitely increased his stamina, and at this rate he was sure that Cas would give him at least another orgasm or two before the end of the night.

When Cas had finally exhausted Dean’s newfound milk supply he continued to trace a path downward, kissing over the mound of Dean’s belly and dragging his tongue over the taut skin. He stroked his hands over Dean’s stomach and smiled almost proudly, and Dean just had to pull him up and kiss him again at that, because it was just so perfect.

“Love you,” Cas breathed against Dean’s lips, and Dean smiled, his cheeks growing red as he pushed Cas back down so he could get back to his ministrations.

“Same, baby,” he breathed. Cas hummed and pressed a kiss to Dean’s belly button, then drew back to sit on his knees. He reached down and grabbed ahold of Dean’s thighs, spreading his legs and bending his knees forward, so that his pretty slick hole and hard cock were exposed to the air and to Cas’s gaze. He let out a contented purr, eyes flashing bright as he leaned forward to kiss the heel of Dean’s swollen foot. He trailed kisses along his ankle and calf, nosing at the hair on his legs and smiling.

“Feels good,” Dean murmured, hands resting on his huge belly as he watched Cas with adoration in his eyes, marveling at the fact that this Alpha was  _his_. That Cas was here with him now, and he wanted him and the pups, and he wasn’t going anywhere. He  _loved_  Dean. And though he hadn’t brought himself to say it yet, Dean loved him too. And finally,  _finally_ , Dean was starting to believe that True Mates really did exist.

“What’re you thinking about?” Cas chuckled, and his voice was so normal- so  _Cas_ \- that Dean was blown away that he could function so regularly in the middle of a rut. He smiled a little back at Cas, shrugging.

“Just glad to have you,” he answered. Cas smiled brightly back at him, leaning forward and draping himself over Dean’s side, leaving the Omega’s legs splayed wide. He kissed the back of his neck, easing Dean onto his side so that he could slot himself up against his back easily.

“I’m glad to have you too, baby. You have no idea how happy you make me,” he whispered, and with a soft grunt he was slipping into Dean’s slick hole, his thick and swollen cock sliding right into the Omega’s sensitive opening. Dean felt as if his breath had been punched out of him and he whined, pushing back on Cas’s cock and gripping at the sheets in front of him. Cas smiled, nosing at his neck again and inhaling his scent as he began to work his hips forward in little circles, pressing against his prostate over and over.

“Shit, Cas,” he gasped, feeling a shift in his stomach as the Alpha began to rut into him, his pace uneven but steady. He laughed, moving his palm over his stomach as he felt another flutter. “They’re kicking ‘cause of you. Oh, this is weird,” he continued to laugh, reaching out to grab Cas’s hand from its place on his hip. He moved it so that he could feel right where the pups were kicking, and Cas purred, his hips moving faster against Dean’s ass.

“They know when their daddy is close,” Cas rumbled, and his fingers dug into Dean’s sides as he sucked and kissed at the Omega’s neck and ears. “Gonna take care of them. Take care of you.  _Oh…_ ,” he moaned, biting into Dean’s shoulder and leaving half-moon teeth marks as he picked up the pace again, nailing Dean’s prostate on every thrust as his knot very slowly began to inflate. He grunted, dragging Dean closer and impaling him on his cock.

“Want you to knot me,” Dean whined, hips moving with Cas’s rhythm as best as he could. He reached down around his huge belly, cupping his cock and balls in his hand as he began to strip his cock. He focused on the head, whining low in his throat as precum smeared his fingers and then he was cumming, covering the sheets on his mattress in jizz as Cas began to rut furiously into his ass.

“Mine,” he growled, and he slammed home, his knot inflating inside of Dean and locking them together. His huge cock began to twitch and pulse within the Omega, and as Dean felt Cas’s hot cum splashing against his insides, he was sure that the Alpha would have gotten him pregnant again if he wasn’t already carrying his pups.

There wasn’t much noise in the room after that, save for their panted breath and soft moans as Cas continued to ride out the aftershocks of his orgasm. When they’d both finally settled down from their orgasmic highs they shifted a bit, so that they could be more comfortable, and Cas draped his arm protectively over Dean’s belly as he pressed his nose into the back of Dean’s neck. After another few moments Dean began thinking about all of the events of the last hour, and remembering the way that Sam had run from the apartment made him snicker, which quickly dissolved into full on laughter. This spurred yet another orgasm from Cas, who groaned and rocked his hips forward, fingers tightening around Dean’s hips.

“What’s so funny?” He rumbled. Dean choked.

“I think that we may have scarred Sammy for life,” he snorted. Cas’s lips quirked, but he shrugged.

“He’ll live. I grew up with Gabriel, and I shared a room with him… With the amount of sex that he had, I’ve seen his dick more times than I’m comfortable relaying,” he said, frowning at the mere thought of his brother’s cock. “But I turned out just fine.”

“Uh-huh. Says the guy who took nearly four months to confess his feelings to me and finally tie the knot,” he answered. He could nearly hear Cas’s eye roll.

“The exact same can be said for you.”

“Touché,” Dean noted, craning his neck back to grin at Cas. “Though I think you’re missing the point, which was my excellent joke about you tying the  _knot_ ” he wiggled his eyebrows, and then his hips. Cas frowned.

“Yes, I was… Trying to ignore it,” he said. Dean huffed and turned away, and Cas laughed, kissing his ear and drawing the blanket over both of them. “Sleep, baby. It’s been a long day, and if we’re going to ride this rut out together, we’ll both need all the sleep we can get.”

All the sleep that they could get turned about to be about six hours, and then Cas was shaking Dean awake around four in the morning, the room filled with his smell and his eyes glowing red in the darkness. He held his oversensitive cock in his hand, and he whimpered as he squeezed it.

“Help me, Dean,” he gasped. “I tried to… to do it on my own, because I didn’t want to wake you, but it won’t… I can’t…”

“Shh, calm down,” Dean urged, and he sat up, drawing Cas close and slotting their fingers together. Then he helped Cas lay down on the bed beside him, and very slowly he managed to maneuver himself so that he was kneeling over the Alpha’s hips. Cas’s huge cock poked at his ass cheeks, catching on the rim for a moment, and Dean’s breath hitched. Keeping his hands on his belly for support, he clumsily sank himself down onto the Alpha’s cock. Cas practically howled, hands flying up to rest on Dean’s belly and his hips.

“It’s okay Cas, I’ve got you,” Dean whispered, and he placed his hands on Cas’s chest, fingers clawing at the skin there as he slowly began to rock his hips back and forth. It was a little hard, what with his huge belly in the way, but he was pretty sure he was doing okay if Cas’s moans were anything to judge by. The Alpha whined and threw his head back against the pillows, and Dean took it as an opportunity to drape himself over Cas’s body and suck a row of hickeys into the sensitive hollow of Cas’s throat.

“Dean,” he whined, and his tone was desperate that Dean knew he wasn’t going to last very long. He could already feel Cas’s knot forming at the base of his cock, but Dean wanted to draw this out. He wanted to make it good. So he ground his hips forward again, sending a jolt of pleasure up his spine as Cas’s cock hit his prostate. He sighed happily, fingers digging into Cas’s shoulders. He began to rock back and forth, effectively bouncing on Cas’s cock, as the Alpha moaned quietly beneath him.

“Fuck, feels so good, Little Alpha. Gonna cum on your knot, you fill me up so nice,” he breathed, his eyes fluttering closed as he bounced his hips up and down. Cas’s cock was splitting him open, fat and swollen, pulsing inside of him as Cas came closer and closer to orgasm. Dean was getting closer too, that telltale warmth pooling in his gut as Cas’s cock repeatedly brushed his prostate.

Dean leaned forward again, planting his hands on either side of Cas’s head and grinding forward until just the tip of Cas’s cock was inside of him. Cas whined desperately at the loss of friction, but then Dean was slamming back down onto his length. He kept this up for a few minutes, until his legs started to cramp and he tapped Cas’s side. The Alpha looked up at him attentively, and Dean pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Gotta roll over, honey. My legs are crampin’,” he mumbled. Cas nodded, and he quickly maneuvered them so that Dean was on his back and Cas was kneeling. He lifted the Omega’s legs, nipping at his ankle as he thrust into him rapidly. He was pounding against Dean’s prostate on every thrust, and in no time at all the Omega’s cock was red and swollen against his stomach. He whined, needy, and reached out to grip at Cas’s bicep. Cas growled and leaned forward, capturing Dean’s lips with his own. He kissed back, moving his lips against the Alpha’s and then tangling his fingers into his hair, pushing Cas’s head towards his chest.

Cas looked up at Dean with wide eyes, his hips stilling for a moment, waiting for Dean to nod to him for permission. When he did Cas groaned, the pace of his thrusts picking up as he dove in to bite and suck at the Omega’s swollen nipples. Evidentially, discovering that Dean’s milk was coming in was a sort of new fetish for Cas, and he drank greedily at whatever sweet droplets leaked from Dean’s brand new tits. The fact that Dean was letting him drink his milk also seemed to push Cas over the edge, and his knot swelled up inside of Dean pretty quickly. Dean followed soon after with a loud orgasm of his own, shooting cum all over his own stomach.

They both collapsed onto the bed after that, and slept through the rest of the night and into the late morning. By the time that they woke up it was late morning, and Dean’s stomach began to rumble as soon as he opened his eyes. He nudged Cas, who still seemed to be joined with him, and the Alpha’s sweet cock slipped from Dean’s sloppy hole as he looked around the room blearily.

Recognition of where he was and who he was with dawned on him a moment later, and the dull red in his eyes immediately turned to a bright, blazing color. He leaned forward to kiss Dean, reaching for the Omega’s cock, but he quickly batted his hand away.

“Breakfast and shower first, then sex. You smelled bad before we even slept together, and now we’re both just… Ick,” Dean shook his head, scrunching his nose up when he ran a hand over his belly and found crusty, dried cum stuck there from the night before. Cas let out a long-suffering groan, pouting at Dean even as he rolled out of bed and went to pull on his underwear from the day before. Dean followed slowly after him, hissing when he shifted and felt just how much pressure was on his bladder. He waddled off to the bathroom while Cas made himself busy in the kitchen, figuring out how to work Dean’s coffee pot and scavenging for some sort of quick breakfast food that they could enjoy.

When Dean emerged from the bathroom the coffee was already brewing, and Cas had just about ten eggs cracked and frying away in a pan on the stove. Dean raised an eyebrow at him as he bustled past, opening up the fridge and removing a package of frozen sausage to place on the counter. Cas smiled a little, shrugging.

“You need to keep your energy up during a rut,” he said. Lips twitching a little. “And besides, I was hungry.”

“You’re going to eat me out of house and home, Cas,” Dean teased back, stroking his fingers through his messy bedhead as he ripped the sausage open and set it on a paper plate. Then he popped it into the microwave, breath hitching when he felt Cas slide his arms around his waist from behind.

“Well, you’re partially right. I  _am_  going to eat you out…,” he smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Dean’s neck, hands rubbing over Dean’s belly. The Omega rolled his eyes, craning his neck to kiss Cas’s lips softly.

“Okay Little Alpha, calm down. I can feel your dick pressing up against my ass and-  _ah!_ ” Dean yelped when Cas suddenly pushed him forward, forcing Dean to grip the counter as he pulled his underwear down and sunk to his knees. Dean groaned loudly and scrambled to find purchase against the counter as Cas dove right in, dragging his tongue over the Omega’s slick ass. He whined, quickly reaching out and turned off the burner for the eggs as Cas began to scissor his ass with his tongue, fingers digging into the Omega’s ass cheeks and leaving bruises.

He ate Dean out enthusiastically, swirling his tongue around the Omega’s sensitive rim over and over, lapping up every drop of slick that he produced overeagerly. It was like he was a parched man in the dessert, and Dean was the first drink he’d had in years. Dean whined loudly, legs trembling as Cas worked his tongue into his ass and began to fuck him with it.

“Ca- _as_ ,” he whined, pushing his ass back against the Alpha’s face. Cas snarled, nipping at his left ass cheek and dragging his tongue over Dean’s slick hole one more time before he stood up and dropped his sweatpants. It turned out that he wasn’t even wearing any underwear, and Dean nearly screamed when Cas suddenly slammed home, pushing him against the counter and letting his fingers dig into the Omega’s curvy hips.

He began to fuck into Dean with vigorous enthusiasm, and the small kitchen filled with the sound of skin slapping against skin, along with the occasional moan from Dean or Cas. The Alpha growled and shifted a little, the new angle allowing him to piston even deeper into the Omega. Dean whimpered, and his legs surely would have failed him if he didn’t have Cas standing behind him and holding him up. His cock throbbed in its place against the kitchen counter, and the minute that Cas hit his prostate he was cumming, a loud scream echoing through the kitchen.

Cas snarled behind him again, and Dean looked back at him to see the that Cas’s face was still covered in his slick, his eyes glowing bright red.

“Cas… You can’t knot me here,” Dean said breathily. Cas growled, narrowing his eyes at Dean.

“I need to knot you. Mine,” he said, pressing the heel of his hand to the back of Dean’s neck and grabbing on. Dean whined and tilted his head to the side submissively, slick dripping from his ass and making a disgusting squelching sound as Cas’s cock thrust back into him.

“Baby, I know. But not here,” he said. Cas frowned for a moment, his hips stilling before suddenly he was pulling out. He swept Dean up in his arms in one fluid motion, and he grabbed at Cas’s shoulders, looking up at the Alpha with wide eyes as he carried them back to the bedroom. Then he dropped Dean onto the bed a little less-than gracefully, clambering onto the mattress so that he could kneel between his legs. Then he pushed back in in one swift motion, moaning loudly as he began to rock forward hard and fast.

“Oh God, Dean,” Cas groaned, hands resting on Dean’s belly as he pushed forward again and again, his knot quickly inflating inside of the Omega. Dean whined and squirmed, and Cas cursed, cum flooding Dean’s insides. The Alpha collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily and mouthing at his shoulder. Dean sighed, carding his fingers through Cas’s sweaty hair and kissing the side of his face.

“Now we’re stuck together, and I’m hungry,” Dean complained. Cas huffed, turning his head so that he could rest against Dean’s chest and smile up at him.

“That’s a real shame,” he quipped. Dean narrowed his eyes, clenching up his muscles and tightening around Cas, eliciting another orgasm from his oversensitive cock. Cas let out a pitiful moan, pinching Dean’s arm.

“You’re a jerk,” he complained. Dean grinned, shuffling so that he and Cas could lie on the bed facing each other, rather than just letting Cas suffocate him. The Alpha reached up and carded his fingers through Dean’s hair, smiling fondly at him, his most recent transgression obviously forgotten already. Dean purred and leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering closed.

“Feels good,” he mumbled. Cas hummed, continuing to stroke his fingers through Dean’s hair.

“You need a haircut,” he said, then flipped his own hair back out of his face. “We both do. I’ll talk to Kali about it, once my rut lets up.”

“Hmm. Did you tell Gabriel that you were staying with me?” Dean asked. Cas nodded.

“Yeah, I texted him while we were in the Uber. He texted back a phallic symbol,” Cas huffed, rolling his eyes. Dean laughed.

“He wasn’t wrong, was he?” Dean asked, grinding his hips forward a little. Cas groaned, his cock twitching helplessly inside of Dean’s ass.

“Stop that,” he complained, ducking his head so that he could nose at Dean’s neck. The Omega smiled, wrapping his arms around Cas and sighing happily.

“I’m so glad you’re here, man. You have no idea how many times I fantasized about this,” he licked his lips, eyes shining mischievously when he realized his own accidental dirty joke. “And when I say fantasize, I mean in more ways than one, if you know what I-”

“Yes, I know what you mean,” Cas cut him off, rolling his eyes even as he laughed. Dean snickered to himself, leaning in to press a sloppy kiss to Cas’s cheek. Cas’s lips twitched a bit.

“You seem awfully cheerful for a pregnant man whose breakfast has been interrupted,” Cas noted. Dean shrugged.

“I guess so, but I think I’d give up eating for a week if it meant that you would fuck me raw like this every day,” he said. Castiel barked out a laugh, the lines around his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

“You’re not hurting, are you? I know I got a little rough there,” he said. Dean shook his head.

“You’re fine. I’m just a little tender, but then I think you are too,” he chuckled. Cas sighed.

“Yes… ruts are not the most enjoyable. I imagine that heat is even worse. Even now, I’m knotted with you and my instincts are still gnawing at me to claim you,” he huffed, still stroking his thumb over Dean’s cheek. “Hopefully this will be over within the next twelve hours or so.”

“Don’t talk like that, Cas!” Dean smirked, nudging the Alpha’s chest. “We want to drag this out for as long as possible that way we can skip the baby shower.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “You are a piece of work, Dean Winchester.”

“And yet you love me,” he teased. The words tumbled from his mouth without a thought, and a moment after saying them Dean realized that it was true. Cas did love him.  _Cas loved him_. He smiled brightly, his eyes finding Cas’s. His breath hitched and he smiled, his heart pounding in his chest. “You love me,” he breathed. Cas laughed, nodding.

“Yeah Dean, I-”

Before he could even finish his sentence Dean was surging forward, throwing his arms around the Alpha and knocking the breath out of him as their lips crashed together. Their kiss was hot and slow, and it made Dean’s lips tingle, his heart still pounding in his chest as he pulled away.

“I love you too,” he breathed. Cas smiled, and then it was he who was kissing Dean, and they lay there for another ten minutes even after Cas’s knot had gone down, simply making out and whispering sweet nothings to each other.

A shower and some food appeared to be exactly what Dean and Cas needed. They decided to shower separately, to avoid the risk of having sex in the shower and getting stuck knotted together under a stream of water that would eventually turn cold. Cas didn’t seem too keen on the idea, but then he was in rut and Dean had deemed his sense of logical judgement ‘unfit’, so whatever the Omega said was going to happen was what happened.

After breakfast was over and cleaned up, Dean and Cas managed to just lay around and watch TV for a few hours before Cas’s rut flared up again. They watched Judge Judy, with Cas leaning against Dean the whole time and scenting his neck while rubbing his belly. Dean smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.

“I’ve been thinking about names,” he murmured almost self-consciously. Castiel immediately perked up, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked at Dean expectantly. The Omega blushed, clearing his throat. “Well, I… I wanted to name one of the babies after my mom. She died when I was four in a… a house fire. Her name was Mary.”

“Mary,” Castiel let the name roll on his tongue, and though Dean had mentioned naming the baby after his mother, he hadn’t known exactly what her name was. But he liked the way that Mary sounded, and he couldn’t help but smile as he repeated the name again. “Mary. I like it very much. Mary means beloved,” he said. Dean grinned.

“Well, she will be dearly beloved,” he responded, rubbing a hand over his swollen belly. Castiel chuckled to himself.

“It also means rebellious and bitter,” he laughed. Dean licked his lips, smirking a bit.

“Oh great, then we know she’ll be taking after me,” he said dryly. Cas smiled and leaned in, pecking Dean’s lips with a soft, sweet kiss.

“She would be a lucky girl to take after you,” he said. Dean blushed, shrugging Cas off and patting his belly.

“Okay, so we named one of them. Now we just need two other names,” he paused, biting his lips and looking up at Cas with raised eyebrows. “Got any ideas?”

Cas shrugged, his cheeks turning red as a certain name came to mind. He scratched at the back of his neck, whispering, “Anna.”

“Anna?” Dean asked, his hand stilling where it had been rubbing back and forth on his stomach. Cas nodded sheepishly, looking away from Dean as the Omega hummed thoughtfully. “I like it,” he said after a few moments, reaching out to take Cas’s hand. Cas looked back at him, and Dean smiled. “Any reason for that particular name?”

“I…,” he swallowed, running his fingers back and forth through his already messy hair. Finally he settled on shrugging, looking down at his lap. “It was my sister’s name.”

“Oh,” Dean breathed, and though his tone was gentle, Cas felt as if the breath had been punched out of him. Dean squeezed his fingers, stroking a thumb over the back of his hand. “Is that the sister you were talking about the other day? At the airport?”

Cas nodded slowly. “She… When I was in college she died suddenly of a heart attack. The doctors said that it was a freak thing. She was my best friend, and until recently I’ve just been stuck in this…,” he trailed off, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as his eyes began to burn dangerously. Dean squeezed his hand reassuringly, and Cas let out a heavy sigh he hadn’t known he’d been holding in. “I’ve been stuck in a bubble.”

“Are you sure you want to name one of the pups after her, baby?” Dean asked, genuinely concerned. And Cas knew what he was worried of- that Cas would grieve his sister too much to ever truly bond with a child that shared her name- but Cas was sure of this. He shook his head, casting a small smile in Dean’s direction.

“I’m sure. She would have been so happy,” he chuckled. Dean smiled brightly, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around Cas’s neck and pillowing his head on the Alpha’s chest. Cas purred, nosing at the Omega’s neck and rubbing his belly.

“I can’t believe how easy this is,” Dean murmured after a few minutes of comfortably silence. Cas chuckled.

“I know what you mean. I feel like I was so scared to tell you how I felt before, and now… I should have done it sooner,” he said. Dean hummed, nuzzling the Alpha’s neck and scenting him.

“We both should have acted sooner. Charlie was just yelling at me the other day about what an idiot I was for not telling you how I felt about you,” he huffed out a laugh. “But all’s well ends well, I guess. Right?” He asked, looking up at Cas with shining eyes. Cas smiled, leaning down to kiss his nose.

“Right.”

“We should think of a third name,” Dean suggested. Cas hummed, hands traveling over Dean’s body to rest on his belly.

“We could. But… Uh…,” Cas bit his lips, his cock already twitching to life in his pants as his skin began to tingle. He wiggled his hips a little and Dean finally got the message. The Omega groaned, pushing off of Castiel and sitting up.

“Damn Alpha, killing my cuddles for sex,” he grumbled. Cas laughed out loud.

“Oh, shut up,” he teased. “Do you want me to knot you again, or are you too sore?”

“I’m a little sore. But you could knot my mouth,” he suggested. Cas smiled back at him devilishly.

So that was how Dean wound up between Cas’s legs for the first time, the Alpha’s huge cock leaking precum all over his fingers as he stroked up and down slowly. He leaned forward, nosing at the hair on Cas’s thighs before he very slowly, very deliberately dragged his tongue all the way from the base of Cas’s cock up to the tip. He moaned at the taste of Cas’s precum, salty and thick where it dribbled from his head.

Dean peppered the head of Cas’s cock with kisses, eliciting a pathetic and needy whine from the Alpha. Dean chuckled and opened his lips around just the head, sucking him down a bit before he popped off again. Cas’s whine was even louder this time, and Dean laughed, squeezing him at the base.

“Oh, calm down Little Alpha. Don’t worry; you’ll get what you want eventually.”

“Dean, my  _knot_ -”

“Can wait a minute. Let me enjoy this,” he chided, leaning forward to drag his tongue over the head and suck up some more of Cas’s precum. The Alpha whimpered in response but stayed still, his cock pulsing between his legs and balls drawn tight, as if he were ready to explode at any moment.

“You are insufferable,” he gasped. Dean hummed, dragging his tongue up and down Cas’s cock once more before he finally opened his mouth wide and took him in. Cas groaned as Dean carefully began to bob up and down. He knew that in order for Cas to effectively knot his mouth he would need to deep throat the Alpha, but he wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to do that. Cas was huge; nearly two inches thick and nine inches long when fully erect. It was no wonder that Dean’s ass was sore; no matter how much slick he made, he’d never be able to dull the stretch of Cas in his ass. The thought made him hard instantly and he moaned around Cas’s length. The Alpha moaned.

“You like sucking me off, baby? I know I taste good…,” he groaned as Dean let his jaw fall open as wide as possible. He took Cas as far down as he could go, until the Alpha’s cockhead was poking the back of his throat and he was gagging loudly. He still had nearly four inches to go.

Dean wasn’t even embarrassed by the needy whine that escaped his mouth as he pulled off of Cas’s cock. He stroked the Alpha up and down, looking up at him determinedly. He could see Cas’s chest rising and falling rapidly, his red eyes the size of saucers as he watched Dean. The Omega smiled.

“Don’t worry Cas. I’m gonna do it. I’ll take care of you,” he assured, and then he dove back in, bobbing up and down on Cas’s massive cock more enthusiastically than he had ever blown someone in his life. Truthfully, he’d only been knotted in the mouth once before, and he’d been extremely high at the time and was pretty sure that the guy (a random fuck at a party one night) had to fuck his throat vigorously in order to achieve it. But he was determined.

He swallowed around Cas’s cock, precum leaking onto his tongue as he opened his mouth wide and sank down slowly. His eyes fluttered shut as he forced himself to take it; to take Cas’s massive cock down his throat as deep as possible. His windpipe screamed in protest as he forced Cas’s cock past the point it had stopped at last time. He knew that he was a mess; he could feel his own drool running down his chin as he began to gag on Cas’s cock. He breathed in through his nose, and distantly he was aware of the fact that Cas was moaning, his hips working in little muted circles as he tried to control himself.

But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make it without there still being two inches left at the base of Cas’s cock, and he could already see the Alpha’s knot beginning to form at the base. He whined loudly as he pulled off of Cas’s cock, fingers digging into his thighs. He wanted that knot inside of him. He wanted it  _now_.

“Fuck my face,” he ordered. Cas’s eyes widened and he gasped.

“Are you-”

“ _Yes_ , I’m sure!” Dean snapped. Cas didn’t need to be told twice. He roughly tangled his fingers into Dean’s hair and guided him down onto his cock, his hips already beginning to thrust into the empty air. All that Dean had was a moment to open his mouth as wide as possible before Cas was shoving in, his entire cock pistoning into Dean’s throat in one fluid motion. Dean groaned around his length, arms flailing to grab onto Cas’s legs as the Alpha began to brutally fuck into his mouth, hissing and moaning the whole time.

Drool covered his face and chin as he gagged, Cas’s cock forcing its way down his throat rough and hard. Tears came to Dean’s eyes but he ignored them, instead moaning around Cas’s cock. The Alpha cursed, his hips working harder. And then,  _somehow_ , he did it. He managed to get his entire, huge cock into Dean’s mouth. He held the gagging Omega’s head down as his knot swelled up behind his teeth, and then warm cum was flooding its way down Dean’s throat.

“Oh,  _oh Dean_ ,” Cas cried out, releasing his head and fisting the covers of the couch instead. Dean’s eyes popped open and he looked up at Cas with wide green eyes, and this only seemed to spur him on, as another wave of cum spurted down his throat. Cas groaned. “Oh Dean, you’re so  _good_.

Dean hummed around Cas’s cock and shifted a bit, his underwear falling down his thighs to reveal his hard, swollen cock. Cas’s breath hitched and he leaned forward, brushing the Omega’s tears away from his face as he looked down at his swollen cock.

“You need some help with that?” He asked. Dean whined and nodded as best as he could. Cas smiled, reaching down towards Dean’s chest. He pinched one of his nipples, and when Dean moaned loudly he kept at it, rubbing at the sensitive bud incessantly.

Suddenly he felt that telltale tingling again, and then he squirted opaque milk all over Cas’s fingers, whimpering and whining the whole time. Cas groaned at the sight of it and went to lick his fingers off, then went back to teasing both of Dean’s nipples. Before long he had milk leaking in thick streams from both of his tits, huge, pregnant belly heaving as Cas teased him relentlessly. He didn’t even need to touch his cock before he was cumming, the thick, red swollen head shooting cum all over his own belly and the couch as Cas went to lick the last droplets of milk from his fingers.

“I think we’re going to need another shower,” he said after a few minutes. Dean couldn’t help but agree.

By the time that Cas’s knot went down and Dean was free to stretch his jaw again, it was nearly lunch time. Dean sent Cas off to take a cold bath (because he was starting to look like he was getting feverish from his rut) while Dean went scrounging around in the kitchen. It didn’t occur to him until a bit too late that there was pretty much nothing sustainable in the fridge or the pantry; Thursdays were his grocery shopping days, and yesterday had been a Thursday. Cursing quietly to himself, Dean went in search of his phone so that he could order some pizzas.

When he finally managed to dig his phone out from the back pocket of his jeans that had been kicked under the bed, he found a slew of text messages from Charlie, Sam, and surprisingly Gabriel.

Sam’s messages mainly consisted of him cursing Dean out, and then a few more messages about where he would be staying. It turned out that Kevin had a girl at his dorm when Sam showed up, and had promptly kicked him out, so now Sam was staying at Jess’s place for the weekend. Dean smirked to himself as he shot off a rather hypocritical (and illogical, considering that Sam and Jess were both Alphas) text message that read, ‘Don’t you dare make any babies!’

The messages from Charlie were mainly considering the baby shower, and scolding Dean for not responding to her. He felt too exhausted to reply, though, so he simply ignored the messages and went to read the ones from Gabriel. There were only two.

**From: G-Man  
02/06/16 | 3:18 PM**

_Cas just told me he’s staying at your place 2nite. Keep me updated?_

And…

**From: G-Man  
02/07/16 | 10:31 AM**

_I take it that your lack of response last night means ur fucking my little bros brain out… Which is all fine and dandy, but I’d really like to know that e’s still alive. Hello?_

“Geez, so overprotective for a Beta,” he found himself mumbling, tapping out a quick reply to let Gabriel know that Cas was fine, and they expected him to recover from his rut by the next morning. Then he looked up the number for the local Dominos, calling in an order for two pies: one plain and one pepperoni, as well as a large bottle of Sprite and an order of hot wings. Then he went into the living room and plopped down on the couch to watch Netflix until the pizza arrived.

“I’m horny,” Cas announced as he walked into the room fresh from his bath, about twenty minutes later. By then the pizza had already arrived, and Dean was dishing the slices out onto two plates. He frowned over at Cas, eyebrows scrunching up.

“Yeah, well I’m hungry,” he replied. Cas growled in frustration, leaning against the wall and letting his towel hang low on his hips. Dean would be lying if he said that the image didn’t have some effect on him, but right now all he really wanted to do was eat pizza. Castiel, evidentially, had other plans.

“You can eat while we have sex. Come on,” he whined. Dean snorted, rolling his eyes but following Cas into the bedroom anyway. He brought the pizza box along with him, propping it up on the pillows as he clambered onto the bed. His pregnant belly hung low beneath him as he propped himself up near the headboard, ass high in the air. Cas hummed in appreciation of the sight, pulling Dean’s sweat pants off easily and tossing them to the side.

“Make sure you prep me first. I’m still a little tender from all the sex yesterday,” Dean chided. Cas hummed back at him in acknowledgement, and then Dean felt the bed dip with Cas’s weight. Dean served himself a slice of pizza, letting out a gasp around his first bite when he felt Cas probing at his slick hole with his fingers.

“Feels good, Cas,” he groaned around a mouthful of food, finishing his first slice before Cas had even worked three fingers in. He reached for another slice, moaning around his food when Cas brushed his prostate, “Fuck, you’re going to make me choke,” he complained. Cas snorted behind him.

“That would be your own fault for eating during sex.” He said. Dean grunted.

“What do you expect me to do,  _Alpha_? Live off of eating your cum?” He asked. Castiel chuckled behind him, his fingers stilling for a moment as his body shook with laughter.”

“That actually doesn’t sound like a half-bad idea,” he teased. Dean rolled his eyes, cramming the pizza crust into his mouth and reaching for a third slice. Cas went back to work at stretching him out, and it wasn’t long before Cas’s hard cock was slapping against his hole, head teasing at Dean’s rim.

“Are you ready, baby?” He asked. Dean moaned, nodding, and very slowly he pushed in. Cas groaned loudly, reaching around to touch Dean’s belly as he bottomed out inside of the Omega. With his hips pressed flat against Dean’s ass he draped himself over the Omega’s back, kissing his shoulder and nuzzling his skin. “Could I have a bite?” he asked as he began to thrust his hips. Dean huffed.

“I thought you were  _horny_ , not  _hungry_ ,” he groused, even as he pulled off a slice for Cas. Cas smiled against his skin, the pace of his thrusts slowing a bit.

“You know that I can be horny and hungry at the same time, right? I’m only a man after all, darling,” he chided. Dean rolled his eyes and grinned into the pillow, pushing his hips back to meet Cas’s thrusts. Cas groaned, cock pulsing inside of Dean’s ass.

“You’re so fucking hot. You should see yourself,” he gasped. Dean hummed softly in response, feeling Cas’s hands stroking over his belly. The Alpha paused in his thrusts for a moment, picking up the pizza box and moving it to the other side of the bed. Then he maneuvered himself so that he and Dean could be on their sides again, Cas’s chest plastered to Dean’s back. He nosed at the Omega’s neck as the pace of his thrusts increased, and it was no time at all before he was cumming with a gasp inside of the Omega.

“Pizza me,” Cas gasped, his knot still pulsing inside of Dean’s ass. Dean handed him a slice, then took one for himself. Cas smiled and accepted the food, pressing a kiss to Dean’s shoulder. “Love you.”

“Do you love me, or do you love the pizza?” Dean asked. Cas laughed, taking a huge bite of pizza and nosing at Dean’s neck. He hummed thoughtfully.

“Maybe a little bit of both.”

“Hmph. I’ll let it slide, but only because this pizza is really fucking good.”

\---

Dean and Castiel sat in a small booth at the far end of the Ladybird Diner. In front of Cas sat a stack of pancakes about eight inches high, and he was making the most lewd noises as he scarfed them down, one bite after another without so much as a second of pause. Dean was half afraid that he was going to choke himself to death, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Dude, you’re eating more than I am. And I’m pregnant with  _triplets_ ,” Dean whispered. Castiel fixed him with pointed glare.

“I just came down from a rut, Dean. Do you know how many calories the average Alpha burns during a rut?” He snapped. Dean smirked, raising his hands in defeat.

“God, you don’t have to be so testy. I still can’t believe that you knotted me like 6 times in a row last night.”

Castiel’s lips twitched and he reached for a napkin, wiping some syrup from his face. “Yes, well I still can’t believe that you took my entire cock down your throat and then let me knot you as you ate an  _entire_  pizza pie later that afternoon.”

Dean pouted, his cheeks turning red. “I didn’t eat the whole thing…,” he grumbled. Castiel laughed.

“You ate six out of eight slices,” he chided. Dean continued to pout, even as Gabriel and Kali walked up to the table, flanking it and sliding into the little booth alongside Dean and Cas. Dean had invited them to have brunch with them, since they hadn’t seen their brother in nearly three weeks. Gabriel slapped Cas on the back as he sat down beside him.

“So, how was it?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Castiel rolled his eyes, elbowing Gabriel in the stomach and taking a huge bite of his pancakes.

“None of your business, that’s how it was.”

“Oh, darling me, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Kali said dryly. Castiel looked at her exasperatedly, and the Alpha smiled, drumming her fingers against the table as if she were bored. Gabriel looked around the table, frowning.

“Not eating, Dean? I hope you’re not feeling sick,” he said, genuine concern in his voice. Dean shook his head, gesturing towards Cas’s plate.

“We were supposed to share. I guess that’s a little fruitless now, though,” he said, chuckling slightly when Cas didn’t even look up from his food. Gabriel let out a dramatic gasp.

“Cas! How unlady-like of you, to refuse to share food with your pregnant mate,” he huffed. Castiel frowned at him, and Dean cleared his throat awkwardly.

“We’re, uh… We’re not mated,” he paused, his eyes flickering over Cas’s face before he added, almost shyly, “Yet.”

“What?” Gabriel’s mouth fell open. “What do you mean, you’re _not_ _mated yet_?” He stared at Dean, then turned to his brother, shaking him and yelling loudly, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” That got some turned heads, and Gabriel apologized profusely before he leaned closer to his brother and Dean, whispering as he looked between the two of them, “Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you two?”

“We wanted to wait,” Cas said, pausing to shove another bite of pancake into his mouth and take a swig of orange juice. Dean finished his sentence for him.

“Until Cas’s rut passed. So that we could both be of sane and sound mind when we bit each other.”

“Sane and sound…  _what_? Okay, listen here you little shits, I have been waiting nineteen fucking chapters for you two to get together, and if you two don’t claim each other soon then I have half a mind to-”

“Chapters?” Castiel interrupted, scowling at his brother. “What the hell do you mean, you’ve been waiting ‘nineteen chapters’? What chapters?”

“Gabriel is writing a novel about you two,” kali said dryly, handing her phone off to Dean, who was sitting next to her. “He posts it on his blog every week.”

“You have a blog?” Castiel sneered at his brother as Dean began to read aloud.

“ _The Adventures of My Stupid Brother and The Random Omega He Knocked up: Starring Castiel_ ,” Dean frowned, scrolling through the first chapter. He narrowed his eyes at Gabriel. “Dude, this is smut!”

“So?”

“You’re mentally disturbed,” Castiel said matter-of-factly. Gabriel scoffed, taking Kali’s phone from Dean and handing it back to his wife.

“Don't you ever presume to know what I am. Now listen very closely. Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play the roles that destiny has chosen for you! And  _that role_  just happens to be being each other’s mates!”

“So you can write porn about it?” Dean asked, arms crossed over his chest. Gabriel shrugged, and Cas laughed, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. You can’t bully us into mating with each other, Gabe.”

“And,” Dean added, lips quirking up a little as he spoke. “Now, when we finally do mate with each, we’ll make sure to put it in a super sexy hidden place. So you’ll never know.”

Cas’s eyes widened, a bright smile spreading over his face as he leaned forward to take Dean’s hand. “I love you so fucking much,” he whispered. Dean smiled back at him, and then Cas pushed his plate forward, offering Dean the last two pancakes. “Do you want me to feed you?”

Kali smiled a little, leaning over and speaking quietly to Gabriel. “Now- sharing your food- that’s what I call true love.”

“Mm-hmm. This is so going in my next chapter,” he whispered. Dean missed kicking his shin under the table by barely less than an inch.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so... There are approximately 27 pages of nonstop sex in this chapter. I have never been more embarrassed to be proud of something in my entire life. This is really... I'm blown away with myself. I never thought this chapter would be so damn long (31 pages in total). It's even worse once you realize that it took me about 2 days to write the whole thing.
> 
> Also, did somebody say Fourth Wall? What the fuck is a fourth wall?
> 
> Please _**COMMENT!!!**_. I want to know what you all think!!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Severely edited version of Chapter 16

Dean woke slowly that Monday morning, shuffling away from the sunlight that streamed through his windows and threatened to disturb his sleep. His entire body ached from his and Castiel’s weekend extracurricular, and he groaned when he felt one of the pups kick his bladder. He didn’t want to wake up just yet. However, he also wasn’t in the mood to soil his freshly cleaned sheets by wetting the bed, so with much effort and not a little bit of moaning and groaning, Dean hoisted himself up and waddled his way down the hall and to the bathroom.

Sam had already left for his morning classes, which he had started resuming just two weeks prior. He and Dean had decided that it was the best course of action to get Sam back on his feet, and the Omega also knew that giving Sam something to do would keep him from going stir crazy. As it was, Dean was pretty sure that his little brother was sick and tired of seeing him waddle around the house and complain about his foot pain.

When Dean returned to his bedroom, he plopped down onto his soft mattress and snuggled up under the covers, reaching for his phone where it had been charging overnight. As soon as he pressed the home button his phone was flooded with push notifications, all links and pictures Cas had emailed him from work asking his opinion on potential apartments. Oh God, Dean realized with a scowl, he’s a morning person. And then, as he was scrolling through his messages from Cas, he noticed that Charlie too had been spamming him all morning as well and he groaned. Today was the baby shower.

He threw his covers off of his round body once more, dropping his phone onto the mattress haphazardly and making his way to the bathroom. The baby shower was slated to start at 2:00 in the afternoon, but it was already close to 10:00 and Dean knew from experience that time flew by when something that you were dreading was approaching. He let out a heavy sigh, stripping free of his clothes and climbing into the shower.

Dean found himself standing under the spray of the warm shower for what was probably longer than necessary, but he couldn’t help the fact that the hot water felt so damn good on his back. Either way Dean figured that he deserved some ‘me-time’, considering that he was about to endure just about five hours of overdramatic fussing at the baby shower he never asked for. He pouted, poking his own belly almost accusingly.

“Do y’all see what kind of sacrifices I make for you? You aren’t even born yet and I’m already subjecting myself to torture, all for a few free diapers,” he grumbled. What he got in response was a flurry of kicks, and he let out a heavy sigh, his lips twitching up into a smile on their own accord.

He was still pretty sore after Cas’s rut, so he avoided the sensitive areas, but by the time that Dean was finished with his shower he figured that he was probably the cleanest he’d ever been in his life. He dressed in a pair of sweatpants and the loose tee-shirt that Cas had left in his room over the weekend. He figured that he might as well be comfortable surrounded by his Alpha’s scent if Charlie was going to force him to make a fool out of himself, and either way, none of his other clothes actually fit anymore.

He made himself a bowl of cereal, since he didn’t have much of an appetite. He decided that he should probably take a better look at the links that Cas had texted him, and slowly he began to scroll through all of the different listings that the Alpha was considering. Most of them were a little pricey for Dean, but Cas had assured him that he didn’t need to worry about money.

Eventually Dean just decided to call Cas, because all of the apartments seemed pretty adequate. He did have a favorite (the kitchen was freaking huge) but since Cas was going to be paying for most of it (or all of it, rather, knowing that the Alpha would insist) he wanted to know what Cas’s favorite was. He would let him make the decision.

“Hey, Dean. You caught me just in time,” Cas picked up after a few rings. “I just got off a Skype call with the Board of Directors. My transfer is looking like it’s going to work out perfectly.”

Dean smiled. “That’s terrific, baby. Everything is coming together then, I guess,” he chuckled. “I looked at some of the apartment listings you sent me.”

Castiel’s excited gasp brought a smile to Dean’s face. “What did you think? I figured that we should start searching as soon as possible, considering how close the pups are to their due date,” he said quickly. Dean hummed, placing a hand over his belly and rubbing back and forth.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it’s only seven more weeks before I’m due,” he smiled a little. “Feels like only yesterday that I was sitting at the bar and a certain sexy stranger bought me a cheap margarita and then fucked my brains out in the back of my car,” he said fondly. Castiel snorted out a laugh.

“When you put it that way, you make it sound so romantic,” he muttered sarcastically. Dean grinned to himself when Castiel whined into the receiver, “And it wasn’t a cheap margarita! That thing was like fourteen bucks.”

“Best fourteen dollars you ever spent.” He teased. He swore that he could nearly hear Castiel rolling his eyes, and he laughed out loud when he heard the Alpha’s annoyed little huff on the other end of the phone.

“Can we focus, Dean? I want to know which apartment you liked the best.”

“I liked them all,” he answered easily.

“Yes, but surely you favored one or two over the rest… We can check them out over the weekend. I have to head down to Topeka tomorrow to pick up some paperwork and finalize my transfer, and I’ll likely be going into work every day for the rest of the week. But I’ll be home before 5 o’clock on Friday, and we’ll also have all weekend to go apartment hunting.”

“It’s fine, Cas. Whatever floats your boat. And, uh… I did like the one with the larger kitchen. I think it was on Howard Street in… Fuck, I can’t remember. I want to say Gardner?”

“Oh, I know which one you’re talking about! I liked that one as well. I also thought that the duplex in Olathe looked very nice, but it may be a little too big for your tastes,” Castiel said, and Dean thought that he could hear him typing in the background. Dean smirked.

“Hey, you know what they say. Bigger is always better,” he chuckled, his voice going suggestively deep at the end of the sentence. Castiel barked out a laugh.

“You are a piece of work, Dean Winchester. Are you okay with me calling the realtor and scheduling a tour on Saturday? I’ll schedule it in the afternoon, as I know you like to sleep in,” he said. Dean bit his lips.

“Maybe you could come over on Friday night and give me a reason to sleep in,” he murmured into the receiver. Castiel laughed, a light and happy sound that made Dean’s heart clench. He felt his stomach flutter, and he bit his lips, fingers tightening around his cell phone.

“I would not be opposed to that at all, actually. And perhaps we could get dinner together after the baby shower, tonight? I want to treat you, and I have a present for you.

“Aw Cas, you don’t have to give me anything,” Dean said, his cheeks turning red as his mind reeled with thoughts of what Cas could possibly have to give him. He could almost hear the Alpha smiling on the other end.

“Yes, but I want to give this to you. And besides, I’m sure that you’ll like it. Anyway, I need to go make lunch for Gabriel, because Kali is at work and he claims that he’s too busy playing World of Warcraft to cook. I’m afraid that I’ve been left in charge of making sure he stays alive and doesn’t starve to death,” he said dryly. Dean laughed.

“I guess he’s training you for the pups, huh?”

Castiel groaned. “God forbid any of my children turn out like Gabriel,” he lamented, and in the background Dean could hear somebody –presumably Gabriel– shouting that he had ‘heard that’. Castiel laughed, and Dean cleared his throat.

“I’ll let you go, then. I, uh… I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said, and then he hung up. Dean tossed his phone to the side, letting out a heavy sigh and rubbing a hand over his belly. He was by no means ready for this baby shower, but if getting through it meant that he got to have dinner with Cas, he was more than willing to rough it out for a couple hours.

\---

It turned out that Charlie had done an excellent job of making this baby shower… Well, for lack of a better word, tolerable. There was nothing showy or filly about it, really, and Dean was happy that even though the part was about him and his pups, he wasn’t made to feel like a circus animal or showgirl. It was just a casual celebration (one at a bar, of all places) and as people began to filter in and greet him, he actually began having a good time.  
“I told you it would be fun,” Charlie chided him as she sat down next to him, a margarita in one hand and a tray full of nachos balanced in the other. Dean quickly reached out and took some, slurping up the melted cheese and humming in appreciation.

“Yes, you did. I have to say that you were right, and I was wrong.”

“Did I just hear Dean Winchester admit that he was wrong?” His baby cousin Jo’s voice reached his ears, and Dean craned his neck backwards to catch sight of her. She and her brother Ash made their way over to his table swiftly, and Dean grinned, hoisting himself up from his seat and wrapping his arms around both of them at once.

“I didn’t see you guys come in! I’m so glad you could make the trip,” he said, pulling back and gesturing towards the two empty seats left at the table. Then he plopped back down himself, grunting softly and flashing his cousins a happy smile. “Did Bobby come down with y’all?”

“Yeah, he’s at the bar right now,” Ash answered, arms cradles behind his own head as he leaned back in his chair. “But seriously, I don’t think he’d have missed this for the world. You, pregnant? We never thought we’d see the day.”

Dean frowned, lips wobbling slightly as his smile. Jo punched Ash in the gut, hissing at him, “Dude, stop being so fucking rude.” She turned back to Dean, rolling her eyes. “Sorry… He just smoked a roll on the way here, and that stuff turns him into a complete asshole.”

There was an awkward, pregnant pause, and Charlie cleared her throat as she stood up. “And that’s my queue. I’m gonna go see about those party games, huh?” She flashed Dean a quick smile, and before he could protest the prospect of party games she was gone. He scowled, sitting back in his chair and looking back over at his cousins, who were now squabbling with each other.

“I am not an asshole,” Ash grumbled, and Jo reached up to smack him upside the head before she turned back to face Dean smiling brightly at and leaning forward.

“So how’s it been? Bobby said it’s triplets, but part of me didn’t believe him. You know how sarcastic he gets.”

Dean chuckled. “Uh, yeah. No, he was telling the truth. Triplets… Three girls, actually,” he beamed, reaching out and popping another couple of nachos into his mouth. His stomach gurgled and he winced, reaching out to pick his water up and take a large gulp. Jo clapped her hands together excitedly, reaching out to take Dean’s hand in her own.

“We’re so happy for you, Dean. I know you’ve always wanted a family, and you’re going to be such a good dad.” She paused, her eyes twinkling. “Do you, uh... You remember when you used to babysit for us, when we were little?”

“Oh man, I remember that,” Ash laughed. “Used to watch Scooby Doo and eat junk food… and you would always sneak vodka from Bobby’s liquor cabinet.” He grinned, looking up in surprise when he saw his step-father standing behind Dean. “Oh, hey Bobby.”

“Are you tellin’ me that you were the one thievin’ from my liquor cabinet all those years?” He asked, scowling and crossing his arms over his chest. “What have you got to say for yourself, boy?”

Dean’s cheeks turned red and he looked back, simpering as he pushed his chair back and stood up. Bobby kept his eyebrows raised and Dean took a deep breath, tilting his head from side to side as if considering his options. A second later he broke out into an earsplitting grin, opening his arms up and beckoning Bobby in for a hug.

“Come on man, I’m pregnant! You can’t stay mad at me,” he chided. Bobby rolled his eyes and shook his head, but in a moment he was stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Dean’s large body for a bone crushing hug.

“Idgit,” he mumbled, patting him on the back and holding on tight. “Been missin’ you back in Sioux Falls. It’s great to see you again,” he said quietly, pulling back and knocking him on the shoulder. His lips quirked up into a small smile and he patted him on the cheek, pulling out Dean’s chair for him and gesturing for him to sit back down. “You ever think of comin’ back home to raise those pups of yours?”

“It’s a nice idea,” he noted, shifting slightly until he was comfortable. He looked up as Sam approached with a beautiful blonde Alpha hanging off of his arm, and he reached out to pat his brother’s shoulder. “Can’t exactly leave Sammy here all alone, though. Nice to meet you, by the way,” he added, reaching out to shake the second Alpha’s hand. She beamed at him, stepping forward and wrapping him in a tight hug.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you too, Dean. Sam has told me so much about you.” She grinned, pushing her hair back behind her ear and smiling over at Sam. “He speaks very fondly of you, whether he wants you to know it or not.”

“Jess,” Sam complained, and she giggled, hiding a smirk as she took a big bite of nacho. Dean grinned, waving his finger at Sam.

“I like this one, Sam. She’s a keeper, I can tell,” he drawled. Jess blushed, smiling coyly over at Sam before turning away, pulling the tray of nachos closer and popping a few more into her mouth. Bobby cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, who is this again?” He asked, looking between Sam and Jessica with a raised eyebrow. Sam frowned, clearing his throat and looking away for a beat before he turned back to look at Bobby, swallowing thickly.

“She’s my- uh, my girlfriend,” he answered. Bobby’s eyes widened and he looked back at Jessica, seemingly sizing her up before he looked back at Sam and gave a curt nod.

“An Alpha, huh?” He wondered allowed, and Sam looked down at the floor almost ashamedly. But then Bobby was reaching out and patting his shoulder, a soft smile on his face. “Well, that sounds about right. S’long as you’re happy, boy.”

Sam swallowed thickly and nodded, lips twitching into a tentative smile. “Yes, sir.”

“Hey!” Cas’s voice floated over to their table from the other side of the bar, and Dean looked up brightly to see Cas, Gabriel and Kali walking through the small crowd of people in the bar and towards their little group. He could see Charlie buzzing around them his arms full of giftwrapped boxes and bags, and he wondered for a moment where she was stashing all of those goodies. He felt his heart swell with affection towards her, and he knew that he would have to do something for her to thank her for throwing this little shindig. Probably bake her a cake, or something.

“Hey baby.” He smiled once they got closer, holding his huge stomach as he forced himself to stand up. Cas stepped forward, steadying him and pecking him on the lips quickly, his hands lingering on his stomach.

“You didn’t have to get up for me,” he said, looking around the table brightly. “Sam,” he nodded towards the other Alpha, then turned his gaze on Bobby. “And you must be Dean’s uncle, Bobby. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Singer,” he said, reaching out to take the older man’s hand. Bobby shook his hand, eyeing him carefully.

“So you’re Castiel,” he postulated, nodding slowly. “You’re a little scrawnier than I pictured.”

“Bobby,” Dean huffed, but the old man simply shrugged, finally releasing Cas’s after another few seconds. He pulled up a chair from an adjacent table, sitting down beside his children and flagging down the bartender for another round of drinks. Cas stood there awkwardly for a moment or two, then turned back to Dean and reached out to touch his shoulder.

“Do you want to take a seat? You look pale,” he whispered, concern lacing his voice. Dean shrugged, offering Cas a sweet smile and pecking his lips again.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired,” he mumbled, plopping back down in his seat. Cas nodded, rubbing at Dean’s shoulders and neck for a few moments before he pulled up his own chair, scooting in next to Dean at the now overcrowded table. Jo made a cooing sound, smirking over at her cousin.

“You two are so adorable,” she grinned, and Dean blushed, rolling his eyes.

“Aw, shut up. As if you ain’t ever been in love before,” he grumbled. Jo shrugged, not responding. Bobby cleared his throat, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table.

“So, I was just talkin’ with Dean about him movin’ back home to raise the pups,” he started. Dean opened his mouth to protest, but Bobby continued on. “I figure it’d be nice for the pups, to be around family.”

Cas’s breath hitched and he nodded awkwardly. “Oh.. Okay,” he stuttered, glancing over at Dean and then back at Bobby. “If that’s something that Dean wants, I can’t say that I won’t be, uh… Supportive,” he nodded, as if agreeing with his own choice of words. Dean dropped his head into his hands, trying not to groan aloud as Cas continued to talk. “Although I do know that Dean and I were just going to start looking at apartments this weekend, so I’m not sure if that plan has changed, or…”

“No, Cas, it hasn’t changed,” Dean offered quickly, leveling Bobby with an exasperated look as he reached out to take Cas’s hand. “Bobby is just…,” he huffed, at a sudden loss for words. He rolled his eyes, then turned back to his uncle. “Cas and I were really set on raising the pups here in Kansas. He just got through working out a transfer with his company, and I have a job here too. Besides, Cas has family here and so do I,” he flashed a smile over in Gabriel and Kali’s direction, then looked back over at his uncle with a tight smile. Bobby nodded thoughtfully.

“Okay then,” he said, and he smiled up at the waitress that had come to bring them their drinks, thanking her politely before he downed half of his beer. “Good talk,” he added, setting his glass down and pushing his chair back. “I’m gonna go hit the can. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay guys,” Charlie popped up beside them suddenly, and Dean nearly jumped out of his seat, looking up at her with wide eyes. “We’re gonna start some party games, and then we’re gonna open presents,” she smiled brightly. Jo cleared her throat, smiling over at the redheaded Alpha slyly.

“Sounds like a plan, cutie,” she drawled. Charlie blushed dark red and Dean rolled his eyes, clearing his throat.

“Seriously, you two?” He huffed, shaking his head. Jo smirked at him, her eyes roving up and down Charlie’s body before the Alpha finally clapped her hands together.

“Let’s get started, then. Now we’re gonna need some paper, pens, and a helluva lot of shots…”

Three hours later the party was in full swing. Bobby and Gabriel were drunk, hanging off of each other at the bar and laughing so loudly at each other’s jokes that Dean was sure the bartender was going to rip their heads off any minutes. At least their getting alone, he thought, and he smiled when Charlie plopped down in front of him.

“I’ve got to give it to you, Red. You throw one hell of a party,” he chuckled. Charlie grinned, raising her glass to him and draining the rest of the drink. Castiel cleared his throat from his place beside the Omega.

“Seriously, Charlie. This is amazing… Nothing myself or Dean ever could have done,” he chuckled. Charlie grinned.

“That’s ‘cause you’re boys,” she joked, and Castiel grinned, nodding.

“I won’t deny that,” he agreed, looking up when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder, and he turned to see Gabriel looming over the three of them.

“Cas, come buy me a brink,” he slurred. The Alpha frowned, shrugging his brother’s hand off of his shoulder.

“Go get it yourself,” he said, his nose scrunched up. Gabriel groaned.

“The bartender won’t let me! Said he’s cutting me off,” he complained. Cas snorted.

“Yes, and for good reason. You wreak like bourbon,” he snapped. Gabriel huffed, exasperated.

“Come on, Cas. Kali won’t buy me anymore… Don’t you love me?” He whined. Castiel pursed his lips and Dean nudged him, lips turned up in a small smile.

“Why don’t you go get him something, huh? It’s a party,” he chided.

“Fine.” Castiel flashed Dean a small smile, pecking him on the cheek as he stood up. "I'll be right back, then," he said, following after his brother to get him another beer from the bar. Dean watched him go, sipping his soda slowly and rubbing his upset stomach.

"Hey, Dean," Sam grinned as he walked over and sat down, a cold beer in his hand. "Jess just went to the bathroom. Are you having a good time?"

"It's okay. And, uh, just to warn you, I'm feeling really gassy today so I just might smoke you out," he said, shorting his disgusted brother a wide grin when he saw the horrified look on his face. "Just one of the many perks of being pregnant."

"And that's why I'm gay," Sam said dryly. Dean snorted, shaking his head and leaning back in his seat. He felt a release in pressure as he moved, and he let out a soft sigh, rubbing the side of his belly and frowning to himself. A moment later Cas and Gabriel reappeared, Gabriel stumbling against Dean’s chair and sloshing his sugary daquiri all over the Omega’s front. Dean didn’t even have time to curse at him before the Beta was turning away, squinting in confusion at the door to the bar.

“Mom?”

\---

“Mom,” Castiel rushed forward, passed Gabriel and Dean and the rest of their friends, taking up his mother’s hands in his own and offering her the best impression of a smile that he could manage. “What are you doing here?”  
“Well I came to see my sons, of course,” she laughed, a hallow noise, and leaned forward to kiss Castiel’s cheek. Her attention was obviously not on him, though, as she craned to get a good look at the rest of the guests. Undoubtedly, she was searching for Dean.

“How did you know where the shower was going to be?” He wondered, moving his body so as to obscure her view of the people behind him. Not that he wanted to hide Dean or the rest of Dean’s family from her– not that he was ashamed or anything– but he knew how harsh his mother could be. He also knew that she was very judgmental, and would certainly scrutinize everything about Dean and his family members. He didn’t want to give her the chance to treat them nastily, especially before he found out what exactly she was doing there in the first place.

“Hannah told me. You know, Castiel, I was so hurt that your mate didn’t invite me and the rest of your family. It’s not exactly proper, if you know what I mean.”

Castiel just barely restrained a growl. “Dean had nothing to do with the guest list. His best friend and myself put it together,” he hissed. Naomi’s eyebrows shot up in shock, and an almost genuinely pained look crossed her face. Castiel knew enough not to buy into it, though, and he held her gaze firmly.

“You didn’t invite me? Why not?”

“I didn’t think you would want to trouble yourself with the flight down,” he lied. The truth was that he hadn’t wanted to expose his Omega to his mother just yet. Or ever, for that matter.

“Castiel,” The Alpha was startled by the sound of Dean’s voice, and he turned suddenly to take in the sight of a very pregnant Dean standing beside him, one hand resting on his lower back and the other protectively over his belly. “Is this your mother?” He asked, smiling brightly up at Naomi and extending a hand to her. She raised her eyebrows at Castiel as she reached out to take Dean’s hand, shaking it tentatively.

“Yes, Dean. This is my mother.”

“Hello,” Dean beamed, shuffling on his feet and releasing Naomi’s hand after a few more moments. “I’m Dean, Castiel’s boyfriend.”

“Not his mate?” Naomi was quick to snap, shooting her son a glare. Before Castiel could even react Dean was slinging an arm over Cas’s shoulder and pulling him close.

“We wanted to take some time to know each other before mating. Though I think it’s safe to say that neither of us are going anywhere at this point,” Dean chuckled, turning to nose at Castiel’s neck comfortingly for just a moment. The smell of the Alpha’s barely restrained rage was making everyone uneasy, and it was only instinct that Dean wanted to comfort him. Naomi seemed unimpressed by both Dean’s words and the public display of affection.

“I see. So you’re keeping your options open, then?”

“Mother,” Castiel hissed, narrowing his eyes at her. She shrugged, clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth and crossing her arms over her chest in a threatening posture. Dean could hear chairs scraping against the floor somewhere behind them, and he knew that somebody in his family was watching and had taken offense to Naomi’s stance. (Knowing his family, it was probably more than one person, too). He couldn’t help but get into a protective poition as well, his hand curling over his belly as he stepped away from the possible threat. Naomi rolled her eyes dramatically.

“As if I would attack you, really. I wouldn’t hurt an Omega, least of all one who may be carrying my son’s pups.”

“May be?” Dean frowned, nose scrunching up distastefully at the woman’s words. Castiel growled low in his throat, and Naomi scoffed at her son.

“Really, Castiel, now is not the time for your posturing. I’m simply raising a valid concern; this hillbilly could be lying about the paternity of his pups.” She snapped, gesturing erratically towards Dean’s swollen mid-section. There was another clattering sound from behind them, and Dean could have sworn that his brother was growling from where he stood at their table. “I wouldn’t blame him if he is lying, either. You’re quite a catch, Castiel. It would be very tempting to any gold digging Omega whore who sleeps with you to claim that you are the father of their bastard children.”

“You shut up!” Castiel roared, his body jerking forward and his hands flying out to grab ahold of his mother’s shirt. He snapped at her, teeth raised predatorily, and it was only the fact that Charlie and Kali both grabbed onto his waist and pulled him away from his mother that kept him him biting her neck.

“I’m only looking out for you, Castiel!” Naomi cried, scandalized, and now that all of the eyes in the restaurant were on her she made sure to make a show of getting up and collecting her things. Once she had picked up her purse and fixed her hair, she took several steps away from her son, looking pointedly in Dean’s direction and gesturing towards his stomach.

“How many are there, anyhow?”

The Omega’s tongue was heavy in his mouth, his throat dry, but for some reason he still felt compelled to answer this woman. It was most likely the wrong decision, especially considering the fact that his brother was already standing behind him telling him not to answer her. Still, he couldn’t stop himself when he spoke, “Three.”

Naomi’s eyebrows shot up again, this time in surprise, and she nodded curtly. Then she turned her nose up, not-so subtly scenting the air around them. Her eyes narrowed in Dean’s direction.

“Why do wreak of alcohol?” She snapped, her nose crinkling in disgust as she scented the daiquiri which Gabriel had accidentally spilled on Dean mere minutes earlier. “You’re not drinking while pregnant, are you?”

Castiel growled fiercely from beside Dean, straining in Naomi’s direction. She offered him little more than a wayward glance, keeping her attention trained on Dean. The Omega stuttered, nervous, unable to offer a valid explanation. Sam growled behind him.

“Don’t answer that question, Dean. It’s a trap,” he said, tugging at his brother’s arm and forcing him to turn away from the woman. Castiel remained where he was, straining against Charlie and Kali’s arms as he snarled at his mother. She huffed in annoyance, shaking her head and turning to leave the restaurant. Just before she reached the door she turned, looking at Castiel and smiling just a little too sweetly.

“I’ll be at the Imperial Park Hotel if you need me, darling.”

\---

“She was right, y’know,” Dean muttered as he and Castiel packed the last of their presents into the trunk of Castiel’s car later that afternoon. Cas scowled, a fresh wave of angry Alpha scent filling the air around them at the mention of his mother.  
“What was she right about?” He snapped. Dean shrugged, looking down at his feet shamefully.

“I could be lying. The pups might not be yours,” he murmured. Castiel went completely still, his hand pausing against the lid of the trunk as Dean continued to soeak. “I mean, it’s a reasonable thing to think. That I’d be using you. I’m not… We’re not from the same… Y’know, you and I live two completely separate lifestyles. I don’t…”

“Dean,” Castiel’s voice was even and steady, surprisingly, and it cut Dean off right in the middle of his rant. The Alpha turned and took his hands into his own, bringing them up to his lips tentatively and kissing them. He nuzzled his cheek against those hands as well, scenting them for a moment before he let them dangle between the two of them, fingers intertwined. “Do you really think those pups aren’t mine?”

The Omega swallowed thickly, silence falling between them for a long minute. Finally, he whimpered. “I don’t want you to be stuck with me if they aren’t yours,” he whispered. Castiel frowned.

“But aren’t they mine?” He whispered. And finally his voice cracked, pitch going high at the end, and Dean looked up at his Alpha with wide eyes. He looked so desperate, as if he were about to break at any moment. And it was the look on Castiel’s face that made Dean realize what a complete fool he was being; that he had somebody here who wanted him so badly to be his own, and he was going to ruin it all again over a bunch of stupid self-hate. He swallowed thickly, shaking his head and pulling Cas close.

“Yeah, they’re yours. Definitely yours,” he breathed. Castiel let out a shaky breath, one Dean didn’t even know he had been holding, and buried his neck in Dean’s shoulder as he let out a desperate sob. The Omega’s arms tightened around him, bringing him closer, warm bodies pressing together in the chilly winter air.

“Oh, Dean…” He choked out, voice wrecked from crying. Dean shushed him, combing his fingers through his hair and kissing his ear.

“All yours, Cas. The pups are all yours,” he paused, nosing at the Alpha’s ear and closing his eyes, letting the scent of his True Mate surround him. He sighed. “And I’m all yours, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to take the end plot in an entirely different direction. I was going to make the confrontation with naomi come after the birth of the pups, but this just seemed more fitting. And then I accidentally posted this chapter to the wrong story :) That was fun
> 
> I hope y'all haven't gotten tired of this story or tired of waiting for updates. I'm working as fast as I can and I love you guys <3
> 
> [Follow my blog!](https://smack-that-assbutt.tumblr.com/)


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry for the delay... But I think (and hope) it was worth it. Here's the final chapter :)

Dean’s labor came on sooner than he expected, and yet, it was peaceful.  He was standing in front of Castiel’s refrigerator, thinking about either pickles or ice cream (and let’s face it, he was probably going to wind up having both in the end) when he felt his first contraction.  He grunted, holding his belly as he suffered the tight pressure and the squeezing sensation on his organs which accompanied it.  It was over in less than sixty seconds and left Dean panting for breath, chin hanging down as he stared in shock at his belly.

“Why the pale face, freckles?  We’re not out of ice cream again, are we?” Gabriel’s brother slid into the kitchen, hip-checking Dean gently out of the way so he could poke around in his brother’s refrigerator.  Dean had to force himself not to roll his eyes; Gabriel has been hanging out around Cas’s apartment during the day more and more often lately, as his pregnancy progresses.  Dean has pretended to be ignorant for the sake of not having an argument with his mate, but he knew that Castiel was having his older brother babysit him.

He supposed it was due to the incident that occured at the baby shower.  From what Dean heard from Castiel and Gabriel, their mother was a manipulative and controlling woman who wouldn’t rest until she got what she wanted from them.  

What exactly she wants, Dean can’t be sure.  He can’t imagine that there is any way she expects she’ll have access to his pups, if she can’t even bring herself to look at Dean without sneering down at him.  Dean won’t allow anybody who disrespects him so much anywhere near his children.  He was happy that Castiel wasin support of this idea, as well.

Anyway, Gabriel had been hanging out with him way more often than he considers necessary.  It had been helpful… whenever he got stuck on the couch, or he couldn’t reach the cereal boxes in the high cabinet, Gabriel was there to help him out.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t nearly as kind or in love with Dean as Castiel, and teased him relentlessly every time that Dean needs his help because he was “too pregnant” to function at menial tasks.  Dean was really starting to resent his presence.

“It’s not even your ice cream, idiot,” Dean rolled his eyes, reaching past Gabriel’s arm and snatching the pint of strawberry gelato right from his grasp.  He smirked, waddling past his mate’s brother and snatching a spoon from the cupboard.  “Anyway, I think I’m in labor,” he said casually.

Gabriel’s jaw dropped, his face going white as a ghost.  Dean thought he may have broken him, and he raised his eyebrows in concern and brought his spoon up to his lips nonchalantly as the Alpha squeaked, “What?”

“Uh… I had a contraction?  It’s not a big deal.  I started building my nest almost a full month ago,” he said, patting at his pockets.  “Have you seen my phone?”

“Dean!” Gabriel shouted, eyes wide and his head shaking.  He snatched the spoon away from the Omega, ignoring his whine of complaint as he threw it into the sink.  “You can’t eat while you’re in labor!  Oh my God, what do I do?  Should I boil water?  You need to sit down!”  He grabbed Dean’s shoulders and pushed him out of the kitchen, towards the couch in the living room.  Dean let out an annoyed huff and finally allowed himself to roll his eyes, grabbing Gabriel by his own shoulders and stopping him in his tracks.

“Dude, you need to take a deep breath and stop panicking.  Firstly, Omegas can eat light meals during labor, so stop believing everything you hear on Grey’s Anatomy.  Second, I had  _ one  _ light contraction and don’t even feel the urge to nest right now, so…  Cool it.  You’re stinking up the entire living room,” he sighed, letting go of Gabriel’s shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest.  “Now, I’ll ask again, have you seen my phone?”

“I, uh…,” Gabriel glanced around the room, then turned and headed into the dining room.  He came rushing back in with Dean’s cell phone in hand, shoving it into Dean’s arms.  Dean pulled up his text message conversation with Castiel, smiling fondly at the silly smiling emoji Castiel had last sent him. 

_ >>I just had a contraction.  think im in labor… gabriel is freaking out _

“What did he say?” Gabriel asked, hovering nervously around Dean’s shoulders and trying to look at his phone.  Dean pulled the screen away from Gabriel’s view and pushed the Alpha away, heading back into the kitchen to finish his ice cream snack.

“Dude, just take it easy and give me some space.  Omegas are supposed to be relaxed during labor, you know?  And you’re kind of making me nervous right now.”

It wasn’t completely a lie. Gabriel was annoying and overbearing, and that was a cause for annoyance.

Gabriel stopped hovering and headed into the other room.  Still, Dean could hear him pacing from the other room and talking on the phone to somebody-- Kali, probably-- and he rolled his eyes again.  Alphas were  _ so  _ not cut out for labor and childbirth.

He finished off the pint of ice cream, since there wasn’t much left in it anyway, and decided to order a pizza for a late lunch.  He rubbed his belly, stroking back and forth and swirling his fingers around his protruding belly button, humming Metallica softly for his pups.  He smiled.  It would only be a short time before he got to meet his three beautiful girls.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulls it out.

_ <<I just called Tessa to let her know.  Are you OK? _

_ >>yeah little alpha, all good. was thinking of ordering a pizza actually _

Dean could only imagine Castiel laughing at his text message, and he received a laughing face emoji in response to his statement.  Then Castiel continued texting words again.

_ >>Good to know labor hasn’t stifled your ravenous appetite.  I am getting in my car now, leaving work early.  I’ll see you in 30 mins _

_ <<got it! pick up some magazines? _

_ >>Why should I fuel your tabloid addiction? _

Dean laughed, and felt one of the baby’s kick his belly. He groaned softly and shifted, pressing a hand to his uncomfortably tight stomach and pulling his phone close to his face.

_ >>bringing your children into the world, here. i think i deserve some gossip _

Dean didn’t receive a response to that message, so he assumed Castiel must be driving.  He busied himself with watching TV and waiting for more contractions.  About twenty minutes later he heard a knock at the door, and yelled for Gabriel to answer it.  The Alpha rolled his eyes in exasperation when he saw that it was just a pizza delivery h was answering, but coughed up some cash for the food regardless and carried the box into the living room.  He set it down on the coffee table in front of Dean, glaring at the Omega.

“You are such a pain in the ass.”

“Thanks for answering the door,” Dean responded as he propped open the box and pulled out a slice of mushroom and sausage pizza.  Gabriel growled and reached out, snatching his own slice from the box.  Dean couldn’t complain.

“And paying for it!  Jerk.”  He plopped down on the couch beside Dean, reaching out and patting his shoulder.  “How are you feeling?”

“Tight.  Contractions are 25 minutes apart right now, so we’ve got a bit of time.  Cas is on his way home now.”

Just as he said it, there was the clatter of a lock jiggling in the apartment door, and then Castiel let himself in.  He smiled brightly when he spotted Dean on the couch, rushing over and sitting down on his free side.  His hand immediately wentto rest on Dean’s heavy belly, and he kissed the Omega’s cheek as Dean leaned into his embrace.

“How do you feel?  Are you okay?”

Dean chuckled.  “I was just tellin’ Gabe.  I feel fine, just a little tight.” He sighed, closing his eyes when he felt a hard squeeze inside his body, in the lowest part of his belly.  He hissed between his teeth, pressing his hand into his side and tipping his head back to rest against Castiel’s shoulder.  “Uh.  That’s about 20 minutes since the last one,” he says one the contraction has finished.  He pats his belly.  “These gals just can’t wait.”

“No, they can’t.  They are not due for another two weeks.”

“Hey, 38 weeks is a long time for triplets to make it without labor inducing.  I’d say we’ve been pretty lucky, actually,” he chuckled.  “We should probably call Sam,” Dean said.  Castiel nodded in agreement.

“I already did.  He said that he can stop by later, if you want, but he’s going to give us space.”  Castiel leaned in, nuzzling his nose against Dean’s cheek and scenting his neck.  He closed his eyes and smiles.  “You don’t smell like you’re in pain.”

“That’s a good thing,” Dean chuckled, rubbing his belly.  “I’m sure it’s going to hurt when I get closer to the transition stage.  Did you read all those articles Tessa sent us?”

“Hey guys?” Gabriel asked, standing and collecting his jacket from the back of the couch.  “I think I’m going to head home, for now.  All this… labor and stuff is making me stressed.”

Dean snorted, laughing at the Alpha, and Castiel nodded.  “Sure.  We’ll call you when the babies get here,” he said, and he was smiling so widely that he could light up the room with his joy.  Gabriel smiled, stepping forward and planting a kiss on both his brother’s and Dean’s cheeks.

“Please keep me updated.  Good luck,” he patted Dean’s shoulder, then turned and walked out the door.  Dean sighed and leaned back against Castiel’s side.

“Tired?” He murmured, kissing Dean’s jaw.  The Omega nodded.

“Yeah.  I think… I want to be in our nest,” he said.  Castiel nodded and helped him up off the couch, his hands all over Dean as the Omega waddled off to their bedroom.  He obviously wanted to be close and to comfort his mate right now.  Dean settled easily into their bed, stacked high with pillows and comforters of all shapes and sizes, which he has been collecting for the better part of a month now.  He laid back, sighing happily at his soft surroundings and the pleasant scent of his mate and himself which had settled into the bedding.  He smiled up at Cas.

“Did you get my magazines?” he asked sweetly.  Castiel laughed and nodded.

“Oh, yes, I forgot that they’re in the car.  You want me to grab the pizza too when I go to get them?” Castiel asked, standing up and heading towards the door.  Dean grins.

“Oh, yes please.  I love you!” He called, hearing Castiel chuckle as he left the room.

The first stage of labor is the easy part.  Omegas are designed to sleep through most of it, saving their energy for the harder transitional stage and the even harder active labor.  Dean slept lightly for almost three and a half hours, occasionally waking for particularly hard contractions, but for the most part he stayed relaxed and content.  Being in his nest and near his mate helped a lot.

“Augh,” Dean groaned, holding the side of his belly and arching his back.  He shuffled, climbing up onto his knees and rocking his hips back and forth, head pillowed on his forearms.  “Hurts, Cas.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” Castiel clucked, rubbing his hand back and forth on Dean’s lower back.  He moaned, closing his eyes, whimpering softly.

“Think I need to push,” he mumbled, rocking his hips again.  Castiel frowned and gently moved behind Dean, easing his sweatpants and boxers off.  His water hadn’t broken yet, but that didn’t mean anything.  With gentle fingers he felt at Dean’s private area, frowning as he looked down between his mate’s legs. It was slick and wet there with fluids and blood, and he could see that Dean’s opening was already bulging with the heavy weight of their pups pushing against his cervix.

“You go ahead then,” Castiel said, standing and going into the bathroom to collect the supplies they need. Tessa gave them a list of equipment to purchase when they’d expressed wanting a home nest birth, and Castiel collected it all in his arms and carried the pre-packaged, sterilized equipment into the bedroom. Dean was panting loudly in the center of the bed, straining as he pushed.

“Fuck,” he sighed when the contraction peaked and ended, his body sagging against the comforter. He blinked up at Castiel, who reached out and brushed his sweaty hair away from his eyes. Dean smiled a little bit. “This is going to be so worth it.”

Castiel smiled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’ve been so lucky to find you, Dean,” he sighed. Dean closed his eyes, enjoying this brief period of relief before his face scrunched up again and he concentrated on pushing. He made a quiet noise in the back of his throat, choking on a cry as he pushed hard with the contraction seizing him inside. Slowly, his daughter’s head pushed out from his slick hole, stretching his anus wide. His small cock hung between his legs, drooling precum onto the comforter from all the stimulation as the baby bulldozed down through Dean’s birth canal. Dean screamed into the pillow, sobbing at the stretch, and Castiel reached out to stroke his thigh comfortingly.

“Almost there,” he whispered. Dean’s body shook, his hole stretching even wider as the crown of her head passed through. Castiel could see a little blood where Dean’s hole was tearing, but he had stitches to fix that after. Right now, he focused on catching their girl and helped pull the rest of her body from Dean’s fluttering hole as he gave one last feeble push.

“Oh, Dean!” Castiel gasped as he took their daughter into his arms, clearing her nose and throat with a special tune Tessa gave them. She lets out a loud cry, a beautiful wail, and Dean rolled over so that he could see his baby for the first time. He reached out, desperate to hold her, and Castiel placed her in his arms without hesitation. He sat in the bed beside Dean, arm wrapped around his shoulder as they both smiled down at their first daughter, pink faced and crying in her mother’s arms.

“So beautiful,” Dean whispered, taking her to his chest and sighing pleasantly as she latched onto his swollen, dripping nipple. The labor had triggered his milk to come in, and Castiel could see now that the sheets where Dean’s chest had been pressed were soaked with wetness. Now there was another kind of wetness staining both of their cheeks, and Castiel reached out to stroke his hand over their daughter’s wet curls. 

“Mary,” he whispered, then leaned forward and kissed Dean’s temple. “After your mother.”

“Cas,” Dean croaked, cheeks wet with his own tears, and he leaned in to capture the Alpha’s lips. It was a pleasant, tranquil moment, but one short lived as Dean suddenly gasped and grabbed at his stomach, whining in pain.

“Oh, she’s coming now. I can feel it,” he gasped, letting Cas take baby Mary away from his nipple so that he could roll over in bed, standing up and walking around now. He braces himself against the side of the bed, sobbing and squatting, feeling liquid and blood trickle down between his legs. “Oh…”

“Stop moving, let me see,” Castiel places Mary, now swaddled, into a small bassinet they had ready and goes to crouch behind his mate’s body. Dean moaned low and long as the head of their second pup, already arriving so soon, stretched him open.

Anna Milton-Winchester was born shortly after her sister Mary, her identical twin. They both slept beautifully beside each other as Dean labored with their sister, the last of their three beautiful pups to be born that day, Claire Milton-Winchester.

Afterwards, Dean sat against the headboard with Claire at his breast and a tired smile on his face. Castiel settled in beside him, holding each of their daughters in his arms and looking on at Dean with wonder, and love, and tears in his eyes. Dean leaned in and kissed him sweetly, letting his forehead rest against Castiel’s neck.

They had come such a long way, since that fateful night in the roadhouse bar. They’d gone from two lonely single people, to a family. And it had all happened by accident. All because Castiel decided, one night ten months ago, that he wanted to relax and let loose and have fun.

Look at the long way they came from: Castiel, the lonely Alpha with no friends and no love life, who missed the connection his family did not provide for him. And Dean, alone except for his only brother, unsure of what to make of himself in this world that was so cruel to his kind, but destined to be alone forever if it meant not being a slave to an Alpha.

And now, here they were, a family. They still had so much to do, and a long way to go. Starting with the apartment lease they needed to sign before moving to Lebanon, and the wedding ring hidden in the sock drawer of Castiel’s dresser, waiting to be presented to Dean one of these days.

But all that could wait, for now. Because for now they were happy, and they were a family, and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all.
> 
> I just want to start by saying that I am so sorry for the long ass delay in this chapter. I just got caught up with all these other projects and lost inspiration for a while there. But I hope that it was worth the wait for you guys.
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this story so much. Going on this journey with you guys... This was my first fic that really actually got popular on here and tumblr, and I feel like this whole experience has made me a better writer and better public author. And I couldn't have done it without all of you and your support. So thank you so much!
> 
> I can't believe the journey this fic has taken me on... I started it in my Junior year of high school. I am now finishing my freshman year of college. Wow.
> 
> I hope you read and loved this chapter. Please let me know in the COMMENTS below! :)


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